The Road to Hell
by Lezg33k
Summary: Regina and Emma find themselves caught up in an romantic entanglement that forces the dark Mayor to look deeper her actions and how they've come to effect all of those around her. Will she embrace her feelings and allow the positive influences in her life to take root? Or will she succumb to those who seek to destroy her and all that she holds dear?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I absolutely, positively 100% do not own any part of the Once Upon a Time Franchise Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money off of it.

**Spoiler Alert**: The whole series is up for grabs, but certainly everything before Season 1, Episode 8. That gets spoiled pretty quickly here.

**Thank You**: To the lovely Lana Parrilla... Basically because she's beautiful.

**The Road to Hell**

by LezG33k

Chapter 1

"I kissed Sheriff Swan," Regina stated matter-of-factly to Dr. Hopper. "I need to understand why I did it and what I need to do to ensure it never happens again."

As a professional in the mental health field, Archie understood that showing signs of shock during a session, no matter how strange the news was, could be detrimental to the doctor/patient relationship but he simply could not help the dropping of his jaw and the bulging of his eyes at the Mayor's confession. Regina and Emma seemed like such bitter rivals; the very idea that they'd show each other any kind of affection, let alone an act as intimate as kissing, seemed impossible.

"Doctor, do close your mouth before I'm forced to bear witness to a grown man drooling over a small, Sapphic detail," she warned.

"I'm sorry, it's not the... the," he stuttered through his words, "...the lesbian aspect of the admission, rather than the specific pairing, that had me briefly taken aback. You two, at least publicly, give off the impression that you're not even remotely fond of each other. You're telling me you kissed Ms. Swan?"

"I didn't slur my words, Doctor, and quite frankly I was just as surprised as you are that it happened, but I've managed to move forward and try to make sense of things, and I came to you to help me with that. Now are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course!" Archie pulled himself from his stupor and reclaimed the professional demeanor he normally presented. "I'm sorry. Please tell me about the circumstances surrounding the kiss and we'll go from there."

Regina sighed as she thought about it, "To be completely honest, I think that it all really started this morning."

* * *

Regina was running late for a meeting with one of the city councilmen, but she also needed to stop by the Sheriff's office to pick up some paperwork. Moving swiftly toward the door, she opened it without so much as a single glance up, which would have behooved her given Emma Swan was heading out at the exact same time and was the unlucky recipient of a large cup of Regina's piping hot coffee as they slammed into one another.

A cry of surprise and pain escaped the Sheriff's throat and competed with a yelp of shock from Regina.

"Ah! Ow! Shit, shit, shit!" Emma exclaimed as the hot beverage burned at her skin as she tried to pull her shirt away from her skin. "Regina, what the hell!"

After the initial jolt of surprise wore off and she'd realized this actually was her fault, she tried to figure out a way to apologize without losing face in front the woman who'd slowly been becoming her arch nemesis as well as her white knight all at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swan, it's not as if I've done this on purpose," her tone was curt, but softened as she took in the sincere look of pain crossing Emma's features. "Now, calm down and let me help you."

Not quite thinking about the logistics of the situation, she tugged at Emma's shirt and tank top and helped to pull them away from the blonde's skin and over her head. The color of the skin that covered her abdominal muscles was juxtaposed between creamy white and angry red. Emma was in too much pain to complain about the fact that she was, with the exception of her bra, now topless in front of Regina and the very meager staff of the police station.

"You should probably put some salve on that," Regina suggested, moving them both toward the supply closet where the first aid kit was kept. "I'm not sure how severe the burn is, but it'll help with the pain."

"How do you know where the first aid kit is?" Emma asked as she was drug inside the spacious closet, the door closed behind them to provide a little privacy under the circumstances.

"As you well know I was sleeping with the former sheriff," Regina said stoically. "You don't think we played doctor at least once or twice?"

"Uggh," Emma moaned in frustration. "I could have gone my entire life not knowing that."

Regina rolled her eyes, "It was a joke, Ms. Swan. I have more decency than to conduct my personal affairs in a public closet. I know where the first aid kit is because I'm the mayor of this town, as you so often seem to forget."

She pulled the salve from the kit, twisted off the lid and without even thinking, started to apply it to the red smears across Emma's stomach. The blonde winced a bit at first from the pain and then it started to dawn on her that not only was Regina Mills touching her naked body, but she was also taking care of her in a way. And this was certainly new in any universe, real or imagined.

It took Regina longer to process the oddity of her ministrations. Perhaps it was because the caffeine she'd become dependent on to jump start her brain every morning was currently residing within the fabric of Ms. Swan's shirt. Or it could have been the fact that the surface that she was working on was, curiously, both soft and strong. She actually enjoyed touching it, even under the circumstances. And it was this final thought that immediately brought her out of her reverie and stalled her actions.

"I'm sure you're perfectly capable of taking over from here, Ms. Swan," she shoved the tin toward the sheriff and started to make a hasty retreat. "Should you require any further medical attention please send me the bill and I'll be sure to take care of it, as it was my coffee that burned you. Now, I must be going."

She exited the storage closet as quickly as she'd entered the station, leaving a confused and slightly annoyed Emma Swan in her wake.

* * *

"Sheriff Swan is a beautiful woman," Dr. Hopper advised after hearing the story. "It isn't all that strange that seeing her in a state of undress and touching her in an intimate way could possibly stir up feelings of a sexual nature."

"It's not the sexual feelings that concern me in this particular circumstance, Dr. Hopper, I'm not a prude," Regina explained. "The problem is that, as if on autopilot, my natural reaction to causing her physical pain was to try to make her feel better. To..." she paused, unhappy with even thinking the next part of what she was about to say. "To take care of her."

"And why do you think you did that?" he asked. "From some of the rumors I've heard out there, you have purposely inflicted physical pain on her in the past. Surely something has happened to make you feel differently about her."

Regina sighed, "Sheriff Swan, due to some ridiculous preoccupation with nobility, seems to constantly be saving the day, even after I make it a point to try to make her life miserable. Recently, she saved me from that fire even though we'd previously come to physical blows and I tried to take her position away from her. I think that part of me has softened to her as a result of the kindness she's shown me with absolutely no reason."

A small chuckle managed to escape Dr. Hopper's mouth and he regretted it right away as the Mayor raised an annoyed eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Madam Mayor, it's just that," he tried to figure out how he was going to phrase his next statement. "Well, you seem to be upset at the idea that you might actually get along better with Ms. Swan. I don't necessarily understand why that's a bad thing. She's obviously shown interest in being a part of Henry's life against all of the tactics you've used against her. Why not make things easier on the both of you and embrace the idea of peace?"

"I want to push her out of my life," she sat forward in her seat and spoke heatedly, "not invite her further in!"

"But you haven't been succeeding with the first part and it seems that her resolve to stay only grows stronger the more you push back," he reasoned. "It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. What if you were to try something new and just see what happens?"

"Are you suggesting that if I become intimate with Ms. Swan that she'll run screaming for the hills and my problem will be solved?" she accused, irate. "Because if so, I am highly offended and shall be storming out of this office within seconds."

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all," he rebounded. "It's just that... Why don't we talk more about your interactions with her today? When was the next time you saw her?"

Regina crossed her arms.

"It was around lunchtime."

* * *

A knock at her office door extricated the Mayor from her labors as she raised her head and issued an invitation for the person on the outside to come in. She was both surprised and annoyed to find Sheriff Swan entering her workspace. She was holding coffee and what looked to be a lunch bag from Granny's.

"Hey," Emma said, moving toward the desk. "I've seen you around town when you don't get your way and since I kind of had a hand, or torso as it were, in keeping you from your morning coffee I figured it would be in the best interest of the Storybrooke citizens if I remedy that the first chance I got. And being that it was lunch time, I also figured it wouldn't hurt you to eat something."

Regina looked at her as if she knew better; which she did.

"I spill scalding coffee on you this morning, nearly disfiguring you, and you come to my office with the very thing I burned you with?" she asked the sheriff. "Either you are far more masochistic than I'd originally thought you were or you want something from me."

"You think I'm masochistic?" Emma asked, somewhat taken aback that the mayor had given her enough thought to adopt that opinion.

"You're still in my town, aren't you?" Regina offered in answer.

"Touché," the blonde conceded as she put down the food and beverage. "And you're right; I do want something from you. I was wondering if I could maybe take Henry to dinner after school. Mary Margaret told me that report cards came out last week and he did really well. I wanted to celebrate with him." She hesitated with the delivery of her next sentence; unhappy with the amount of pride swallowing it took to say it. "But only if it was ok with you."

There was one area where Emma Swan was consistent as clockwork: surprising Regina. This last effort was no different. She decided to counter the surprise showing on her face by taking the sheriff down a few pegs and seeing how she handles that.

"And if it's not ok with me?" Regina inquired.

Emma sighed and nodded her head, "I thought of that too. That's why I bought this card and put a gift certificate for the bookstore in there."

She handed it over to the mayor and yet again succeeded in surprising the other woman.

"I know Henry likes to read," the blonde stated, "and I figured you'd be ok with anything that might get his nose out of a particular book that paints you the bad guy at every turn."

Regina was at a loss for words as looked at the card and the poor penmanship scrawled across it announcing "Good Job, Kid". And without another word, the sheriff walked away, making her exit. Before she closed the door Regina stopped her with her default formality.

"Ms. Swan," she moved from behind her desk and approached the door. "Now, that you mention it I could use a little free time this evening to get a few things done around the house. Perhaps it wouldn't be the most devastating thing in the world for you to spend a little time with Henry."

She handed the card over to a smiling sheriff, "This doesn't mean that I'm giving you carte blanche on seeing my son and there are rules. You are to have him home not a minute after 7:30. I want to make sure he has enough time to do his homework before bed."

"You got it!" Emma said, accepting the card.

Though she'd usually begrudge the happiness on the blonde's face, and certainly wasn't fond of being the one who'd put it there, Regina simply nodded and moved back to her seat. Just before Emma closed the door, she addressed the mayor one last time.

"Regina," she said, noting the lack of formality a little late in the statement, but making no move to correct herself. "Thank you for this."

"Goodbye, Ms. Swan," was the curt response.

* * *

"Again, Madam Mayor, I must interject to say that your getting along with Sheriff Swan is honestly a good thing for all," Dr. Hopper noted. "Why do you think the concept itself troubles you so much?"

"Because if she stays here, she can ruin everything," Regina growled.

"But how, Regina?" Dr. Hopper asked, confused.

"Because she's-" she cut her frustrated sentence off as soon as she realized she was about to call Emma the savior. "She's the woman who bore my son and then let him go. She doesn't just get to waltz back into his life and take him from me."

"You know that Ms. Swan has shown no interest in seeking custody of Henry and it would be very difficult for her win even if she did."

"Difficult, but not impossible," she fired back. "As you so candidly pointed out when you brought up the risk to me after helping save Henry from the sinkhole, Doctor."

An event that Archie would rather not revisit. He faltered at finding a proper response and the mayor picked up where she left off.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter because, even given the small amount of access I allow her to my son she can't even obey even the easiest rules," Regina said, almost as much to herself as to Dr. Hopper.

"What do you mean?" Archie asked.

"She was seventeen minutes late returning Henry to me last night," she explained.

"Did she give a reason for the tardiness?" he asked.

"She said they lost track of time," Regina snarled. "Basically rubbing in my face that the fun she can have with Henry abounds to such heights that time is no longer relevant, while getting him to spend five minutes not hating me is an exercise in futility."

"I doubt she meant it that way. Look at how much effort she's putting into winning over your approval," Archie suggested.

"If she wanted my approval she wouldn't have so cavalierly disregarded my wishes!" Regina was nearly pouting at this point. "I trusted her to spend an evening with my son on the one condition that she bring him back at a specific time and she broke that trust."

"So, that's what this is about," he was starting to put more of the puzzle together. "You have issues with trust."

"Everyone has issues with trust, Dr. Hopper," she rolled her eyes. "It's called being an adult."

"Yes, but I think you've hit on something very important here," he explained. "Did Ms. Swan apologize for the incident?"

"Of course she did," Regina answered. "Profusely even, but the damage was done and I was angry... And somehow that anger led to the point of this entire session. I kissed her during the argument."

* * *

Regina flung open the door to her house with venom flowing through her veins.

"Regina, I'm sorry," Emma started before even opening with a greeting. "I didn't mean to keep him out later than we'd agreed upon. We just lost track of time and I take full responsibility for that."

"Actually, I take full responsibility, Ms. Swan," she argued. "I should have known better than to trust you with even the simplest instructions regarding my son. I'll not be making the same mistake again. Henry, please go to your room and start your homework."

"Goodnight Emma," he said with a shrug and a sigh as he moved to obey. "Thank you for taking me out tonight."

Regina moved to shut the door but the sheriff stopped it with her boot and pushed further into the frame, "Regina, please, let's talk about this. We got along so well today, I don't want that all to go to hell just because I forgot to look at my watch every five seconds."

"You see that's the problem, Ms. Swan," Regina jutted her face forward in anger. "I show you even the slightest kindness and your next move is to take advantage of it."

"It wasn't intentional, though. It was only a few minutes that certainly won't make that big of a difference," she said, noticing that the mayor was moving back into the house, she followed suit. "And Henry told me that he really didn't have all that much to do tonight before bed. It isn't the end of the world."

"It's not the amount of minutes; it's the principle of the matter!" Regina said, moving into the study and pouring herself a tumbler of scotch. "Principles being something you obviously have very few of."

Emma winced briefly from the statement, but did not relent, "Are you listening to yourself? Don't you see what you just did? I was a few minutes late returning Henry back to you, I apologized for it and your response is to cruelly attack my personal character. An act of retaliation that you utilize nearly every time even the smallest thing doesn't go your way. You have all but called me a whore, a gypsy, a liar... honestly you've demeaned me so much at this point that I can't even recall all of the barbs you've thrown out and still I am asking that you please try to get along with me for Henry's sake. I'm not perfect, Regina, but I'm going to be a part of Henry's life whether you like it or not."

"Well, then I guess you're just going to have to start getting used to the abuse I heap on you, Ms. Swan because your past actions have armed me with stores of ammunition to use in taking shots at your personal character," she said, moving into Emma's personal space. An act of dominance she fell back on nearly every chance she got.

"Do your worst, Madam Mayor," Emma, too, moved in closer. "I can take it."

And that's when it happened. Regina lunged in such a way that neither party could actually be sure if she was going to rip out Emma's throat or push her out of the house with one single blow. Both were surprised when what actually happened was Regina slamming both her lips and her body against that of the sheriff's until her back met the wall. Emma's eyes were wide at first, given the shock she was experiencing but a few seconds in they closed as she allowed her more animalistic instincts take over. Hands were clutching at backs and shoulders. Tongues and teeth were being brought in as back-up for lips that were warring in an outright assault.

It didn't take long for the blonde to take the upper hand; using her strength to turn the tables and shove Regina up against the wall. A moan issued forth from the mayor in reaction and was rewarded with a skinny-jean clad thigh making its way between her legs. It was only when she realized that they had both settled into a heated grind that Emma's mind came crashing back to reality and forced her body to pull away from the event.

"Oh my god!" she rasped and then covered her wide open mouth with both of her hands. "What just happened?"

Breathing hard through bruised lips, the mayor looked on at the other woman with just as much confusion.

"I don't know," was the response she was finally able to issue forth.

"Well, why did you do that?" Emma asked. "What does it mean?"

"It means nothing, Ms. Swan," Regina stated as she straightened out her clothing, though her breathing remained ragged.

"Regina, you just kissed me... hard. And moaned and grabbed and-" Emma recounted before she was cut off.

"Yes, I was present for the event, Sheriff," Regina raised her voice. "I don't need a recap from you. Things were obviously getting very heated between us and that was the culmination of all that anger. I could have just as easily thrown a punch."

Given her state of confusion, Emma's guard was down just long enough for those beautiful, puppy-dog eyes to fall a bit in disappointed recognition. Even acts of love were weapons of war for the mayor. It was just another move of aggression. She recovered her features but not before Regina noticed the sadness. And something about it made her heart ache ever so slightly. The feeling was squashed almost as quickly as it rose up.

"I think it's time that you see yourself out, Sheriff," Regina stabilized herself by backing up to her desk and bracing herself with her hands.

"Of course it is," Emma nodded spitefully as she turned to make her requested exit. Leaving Regina panting, confused and, most surprising of all, lonely.

* * *

"So, the kiss," Dr. Hopper started, "however animalistic, was returned by the Sheriff?"

"Yes, with equal passion," Regina confirmed, feeling somewhat awkward.

"And how did it make you feel when Ms. Swan reciprocated?" he asked.

"I... I..." Regina searched for the words, but those thoughts lead back to a reaction that she was wholly uncomfortable with. "I don't know that I wish to talk about that."

"Of course that's your decision, Regina, but I'm not sure how much I can help you with this perceived problem if I don't know how you feel about it," Dr. Hopper admitted.

Regina huffed and clenched her jaw, "Let's hypothesize on the idea that I liked it. Where does that put things between me and Ms. Swan?"

Dr. Hopper thought for a moment and then pushed his glasses up before speaking.

"It could put you in a lot of places with her, but it seems to me the most productive would be a place where you two have the capacity to give each other pleasure, which can also translate into being civil to towards each other," he said. "What if you could focus on this one area of mutual attraction and use it to the betterment of both of your lives?"

"Are you suggesting I have sexual relations with the Sheriff simply so we can exchange pleasantries in public?" She scoffed.

"No, no!" he put his hands up in defense. "I'm saying that you both obviously have a physical attraction for each other. In many cases when people feel this way, they tend to try to be kinder to each other on a platonic level to reach the desired physical effect. What if you were nicer to Ms. Swan in order to receive even the smallest modicum of physical affect; a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a friendly hug given on a rough day... Sure it could lead to more, but perhaps you could use this action/reward scenario to better your interactions with her altogether. Surely you don't want to continue things the way they are now?"

"I don't," she agreed. However bothersome the sheriff may be to her, she was getting tired of fighting with her all of the time. Especially given that it garnered no results whatsoever. "So, you're suggesting I use this attraction I have for Ms. Swan to somehow foster a relationship between the two of us where we don't hate each other?"

"Regina, I don't think Emma hates you," Dr. Hopper reasoned. "You are the only one walking around with that burden right now. Wouldn't it be better to lay it down? You still get to keep Henry and you still get to call the shots in the town. You just get to do it without so much anger sapping your strength."

Regina took in a deep breath as she entertained the idea from Dr. Hopper. Finally she acquiesced.

"I can't say that I have any assured notion that this will actually work, Doctor... But I am willing to try."

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm kind of new to this pairing, but this story idea has been bugging me for a while. I hope you guys are enjoying it. The next chapter will take a bit longer to get out simply because I have another fic I'm working on that is almost at a stopping point, but I'll try my best to get back on this one quickly.**

Chapter 2

In general, Emma found it odd to be sitting in a shrink's office. The last time she'd had any contact with some kind of mental health professional she was in the foster system being admonished for her consistent pattern of running away. Some of them were of no help at all, some of them wanted to help so much that it broke her heart to see their hearts breaking for her. All in all, she'd sworn off of them on principle.

Until now.

Kissing Regina had been an act so out of character than she felt the need to discuss it with someone possessing a degree in understanding insane behavior. That's why she made an appointment with Dr. Hopper, much to both of their surprise.

"I must say it's a pleasure to see you in here, Sherriff," he beamed with a warm smile. "Of all the residents of Storybrooke, you're the one I know the least about and I'm touched that you trust me enough to open up."

"Yeah, yeah," she agreed, wanting to speed things up. "That's all great, Doc, but I'm not exactly thrilled about what brings me here and I really need some advice on how to fix whatever's wrong with me. Now we've only got an hour here, so let's get crackin'."

"Of course," he agreed, suddenly wondering if he already knew what the subject of their hour might be. "Tell me what brings you here."

"Ok," she blew out a nervous breath as she spoke. "There's something going on with me and… someone else in this town, that shouldn't be going on. Like a sexual thing."

_Bingo. _He thought to himself.

"Well, sexual feelings are very natural, Ms. Swan," he explained. "I'm not sure what the problem is here."

"The problem is that this person I have these feelings for hates me and makes it a point to torture me at every turn. She..." Emma paused, realizing she'd probably just tipped her hand too much about whom she was referring. "She's being nice to me all of a sudden and that would be great if it were genuine but I don't know for sure if it is; and the more power I give this woman, the worse off we all are."

Dr. Hopper sighed this time.

"Alright, I think we can go ahead and cease the tip-toeing here and just state that we're talking about Regina," he encouraged. "She's obviously been contentious with you on many different levels since you arrived in town. Now, as far as the new development in your relationship-"

"Oh, it's not a relationship," she interrupted him. "We are not in a relationship."

"I was referring to the established personal/professional relationship entering a different phase," he corrected. "I'll note that you are not in a romantic relationship in your chart. Anyway, tell me about what's going on."

"Well, there's been kissing," she started to count on her hands, "some groping, and a plethora of really intense stares..."

Dr. Hopper simply smiled and stopped her...

"I was actually referring to the action surrounding the physical expressions," he elaborated.

"Oh, right," she smacked herself on the head. "Sorry, Doc. Um, well we kind of had a fight the other night because I was late bringing Henry home and that ended up in a kiss, which led her to basically tell me to get lost."

"And how did that make you feel?"

Emma thought for a moment and then responded, "What does that matter?"

Dr. Hopper suppressed a chuckle at the similarity in responses between the two women, "It matters, Emma, because you're trying to deal with your feelings over the mayor. I kind of need to know what they are if I'm going to help you examine them."

"Well, the thing is, my feelings really don't matter," she explained. "Those just need to be cut off. It's her feelings I'm worried about."

"Hmm, interesting," Dr. Hopper responded, writing on his legal pad.

"What do you mean; what's interesting?" Emma asked.

"It's interesting that you're more concerned about the feelings of someone whom you believe is out to torture and destroy you, than your own," he explained. "Do you think that your feelings don't matter in general, or that they just don't matter when compared Regina's?"

Emma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she opted to answer his previous question, "Confused. It made me feel confused and sort of sad."

"Confusion is perfectly understandable," Dr. Hopper agreed, "but the sadness may be a little more distressing in your head. Why do you think it made you feel sad that she cast you aside afterward?"

"I mean, there are a lot of reasons," the blonde leaned forward and clasped her hands. "Everything would be so much easier if she showed even the smallest amount of affection towards me. She'd probably let me see Henry more. She wouldn't be down my throat about every single issue going on around town. She wouldn't be trying to destroy me. But maybe..."

She groaned and ran both hands through her long hair.

"Maybe it also just hurts because I actually do just want her to like me past all of those reasons," she admitted. "She's obviously a good person on some level because she is viciously protective of my... her son. She's completely gorgeous, she's intense and passionate. Hell, I even find her funny when she's berating me because she's got a sharp little tongue in that mouth of hers. Maybe part of me really did want to be genuinely liked by her."

"Did or does?" Dr. Hopper asked.

"Well, that's what I'm here for now, isn't it," Emma started to stare him down.

"Emma, I can offer you the tools to curtail your actions, but I can't get rid of your feelings, those you have to work through or accept."

He could tell that she did not like that answer, so he tried a different approach.

"Why don't we table that issue for the moment and you tell me what happened the day after you kissed," he guided. "What was Regina like toward you then?"

Emma leaned back and stretched out her arms, "She was nice... And it was downright scary."

* * *

Emma arrived at work the morning after the kiss in a less than rested state of mind. She'd been thinking about what happened at the mayor's residence since she'd pulled away from the entanglement, and the thoughts only served to heighten both her arousal and confusion at the situation.

_Regina initiated the damn kiss, it wasn't my fault. _She thought to herself. _And it's not like we haven't been all up in each other's faces before. The woman invades my personal bubble all the time. It's as if she's surveying to stake claim over property there. She must have been feeling this way for a long time._

As she stowed away her jacket, she came across one of Grahams scarves. Picking it up and running it through her hands, another thought crossed her mind.

_Graham's gone... and he used to keep Regina company in that way. That's why she did it. It had nothing to do with any underlying feelings she's been having for me. The bitch is just horny; plain and simple. Must have a thing for law enforcement too. Well this bronco ain't interested in being anyone's one trick pony. Screw her and her kiss!_

Then, as she walked over to her desk, she noticed a still steaming to-go cup from Granny's; a note, laden with impeccable penmanship, rested beneath it.

_Sheriff Swan,_

_I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was all very much out of character for me and I have no doubt it was confusing for you as well. I know that a cup of cocoa isn't exactly a sweeping epic of a peace offering, but besides Henry, it's the only thing I actually know you to be consistently fond of. I promise it's perfectly safe to drink. If you believe any of Henry's stories, from that retched book Mary Margaret gave him, you'll know that apples are the main ingredient from which to steer clear._

_-Mayor Mills_

Emma smiled softly as she shook her head at the note. Only Regina could give a girl a cup of cocoa to apologize for a kiss and then sign off with a formality. Of course, once Emma realized she was smiling she quickly tried to wipe it from her face and crush the small sense of giddiness that had started to rise within her.

Then, as the day pressed on, her mind started to wander into Regina's territory. The woman had no need for pleasantries with her. She had control over Henry, the town... hell, even the sheriff's salary. She honestly had no reason to be kind to her unless she simply wanted to. Maybe Regina was changing? And if she was, didn't it make sense to encourage that rather than mistrust it?

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was nearing lunch time. She thumbed her pencil against the desk as she debated, once again, visiting Regina for lunch. Then, as if her body were on autopilot, Emma found herself putting on her jacket and heading to Granny's.

The diner was semi busy given the lunch rush. Emma leaned against the counter and caught Ruby's eye with a wave. The dark haired beauty smiled and finished up her business with Leroy before heading over.

"Hey Emma, how're things going down at the station?" she asked.

Emma liked Ruby. She was always so kind and happy. Plus her lust for life matched Emma's own. They both seemed to like getting into trouble a little too much.

"Not too bad, Ruby," she answered. "How's business? Looks like it's booming as always."

"Not a lot of competition in Storybrooke," Ruby answered. "It's actually one of the good things Regina's done for us; keeping the big corporations out of town. Granny's probably couldn't stand up the likes of a McDonalds and a Comfort Inn."

"Guess she's not completely bad after all," Emma smiled at the idea.

"I wouldn't go that far," Ruby winked. "So what'll it be? Burger and fries; same as always?"

"And a salad," The blonde added, "the Greek one, with extra olives."

Ruby's face scrunched up in confusion, "Hungry there, Sheriff?"

"The salad's not for me," she answered.

"And it's the same one the mayor orders..." Ruby noted curiously. "You planning on a lunch date with the devil?"

"Hey, didn't you just credit her with the security of your livelihood?" Emma quirked her head.

"Well yeah, but that all comes at the cost of having to deal with her and she's nowhere near pleasant the way she lords over us all the time," Ruby crossed her arms.

It occurred to Emma that it must be incredibly hard for Regina sometimes, given that practically everyone in town hated her. Maybe that was her reasoning behind the pleasantries; the possibility of friendship.

"It's just a lunch meeting," the blonde played down the casual nature of the event. "And maybe if we were all a little more understanding of her, she might be a little more pleasant to us."

Ruby packed up the meal and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess it's worth a shot. Let me know if you have any luck with that."

"Will do," Emma left a twenty on the counter. "Thanks Ruby, keep the change."

Regina had checked her phone at least a dozen times over the course of the morning just to see if perhaps the sheriff had tried to contact her and she'd somehow missed the alert, but every time she illuminated the screen she was met with nothing but a picture of Henry smiling in the background. So, when she heard an unexpected knock at the door and saw the sheriff poke her pretty blonde face in, she couldn't help the feeling of excitement that started to swell within her chest.

"Two days in a row, Sheriff Swan," She remarked with a mirthful tone. "People will start to talk."

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but there are worse things that they could be saying about you," Emma joked back. "I thought that maybe we could have something to eat together and talk."

"Yes," Regina agreed, standing. "I think we probably should. Please have a seat."

She guided Emma to a large table to the side of her office and poured two glasses of water for them to drink. They sat in silence for quite a while before both of them tried to break it at the same time. A soft bout of laughter broke free from both of them before Emma offered Regina the opportunity to speak.

"Go ahead," she said to the brunette.

"Thank you, Ms. Swan," she took a sip of her water. "I wanted to address what happened between us last night. Get the elephant out of the room, so to speak."

"I think that would probably be incredibly uncomfortable but altogether necessary," Emma nodded.

Regina quirked a smile on the side of her mouth as she prepared her to deliver her next statement. And, although she may have been trying to turn over a new leaf, she still couldn't fight off her manipulative nature. And if she knew anything about Emma Swan, that the best way to manipulate her into doing something was by telling her not to do it.

"The truth is I'd like very much for us to get along better, for Henry's sake," she started.

Emma couldn't help but feel a small tinge of disappointment over the idea that the only reason Regina wanted to try to be civil was for Henry, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind she dashed it out. Anything that would benefit the kid's life was good enough for her.

"... and for my sake as well," Regina continued.

A look of surprise crossed Emma's face, but she struck it down as quickly as she felt it.

"I don't have many friends, Ms. Swan," the brunette looked down sadly, "any friends actually. And Henry, well, he thinks that I'm the evil queen in some fairy tale. I believe that the only way to change any of this is to change the way I treat people, starting with you. There's just one problem."

"What's that?" the blonde asked.

"I find myself," she tried to seem embarrassed, "attracted to you. And from the way you reacted yesterday to my acting on it, I'd say you feel that way too."

It was Emma's turn to be embarrassed now, "I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment."

"And therein lies the problem," Regina explained. "We have a lot working against us already when it comes to the situation we find ourselves in. Adding a physical element to that would only further confuse things and possibly make them worse. I'm going to try to control my urges and I'd ask that you do the same."

"Right," the blonde swallowed a mouthful of burger. "Well, we managed to do it for the first few months that I lived here, surely we can keep our hands to ourselves in the future."

"Even if we make an effort to be more civil to one another?" the mayor asked.

"Considering it was fighting that led to the..." Emma searched for the right word, "incident last night, maybe civility will be the greatest romantic deterrent ever."

Regina chuckled a bit, "Perhaps you're right."

They continued on with their meal exchanging small pleasantries and talking mostly about Henry. After cleaning up, they both stood awkwardly. Not quite knowing how to say goodbye without throwing some unkind verbal barb. It was Emma that finally reached out her hand.

"Thanks for letting me crash your lunch hour," the blonde offered. "It was actually nice being in the same room with you for once, Madame Mayor."

Regina smiled and took the offered hand.

"Thank you for lunch, Sheriff," she paused before letting go. "By the way, how did you guess what I usually order?"

"I suppose the same way you figured out I like cinnamon on my cocoa," Emma's lips formed a half-smile. "Maybe we've been paying attention to each other more than we thought."

"Maybe," Regina nodded, and as Emma moved to pull her hand away, the mayor gripped it tighter, holding her in place. "Would you like to have dinner with Henry and me tonight?"

"I..." Emma paused, she was taken aback. "I'd love to, actually. Thank you, Regina."

The brunette nodded and bid her goodbye, "Sheriff."

* * *

"Did you not feel her kindness was genuine?" Dr. Hopper asked.

"This is Regina we're talking about here," she reasoned. "Of course I didn't think it was genuine. The problem is I overlook it when I'm around her now because I want to believe it."

"What possible scheme do you think she could be concocting through being nice to you?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. "I've thought about it a lot since last night and I can't see her leading me down any kind of path, through kindness, that could stop me from staying in town or seeing Henry; both of which seemed to be her main goals before."

"Occam's Razor states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one," Dr. Hopper explained. "A lot of assumptions would have to be made to come up with some sort of sinister plan perpetrated through being nice. Perhaps the best option would be to simply proceed with caution."

"That's basically what I did when I went over there last night," she said, concern painting her features.

"Oh no," Dr. Hopper exclaimed. "Did last night's visit end in quarrel as well?"

"No, actually it didn't... but it still ended in a kiss."

* * *

When Emma arrived at the mayor's residence it was Henry who answered the door. As soon as he saw her he stepped out to address her.

"Emma, have you gone insane?" his eyes were wide as he spoke. "This is two days in a row you've gotten to see me. I know you think my mom is trying to be nice to you, but she's must have something up her sleeve. We need to go back to the old way of sneaking around and hanging out... It was more fun then anyway."

"Henry, I'm trying to make things better for all of us," she lowered herself a bit to easier reach his eye level. "Wouldn't it be better if I could just drop by and take you out for ice cream or walk you to school without having to worry that a black Mercedes is going to run me down just for doing so?"

"Come now, Ms. Swan," Regina pulled the door open more and moved in on the conversation, "I wouldn't dare risk denting my car with the hardness of your head. Now, shall we all come inside like civilized people or shall we linger in the doorway like monosyllabic barbarians?"

"I guess my vote is for the former since I'm not quite sure the definition of the latter," Emma said as she put her hand on Henry's shoulder and guided him inside as well.

Dinner was much quieter than either woman had anticipated given Henry's reticence about the situation. The sounds of knives and forks tapping and scraping against plates served as the soundtrack for the evening and it was driving Emma insane.

"So, how was school today, kid?" she asked. "Learn anything new?"

"I learned that if you mix the right candy and soda together you can create a geyser in the lunchroom," the boy remarked.

Emma giggled and Regina rolled her eyes.

"He's just saying that because he thinks it's the only thing about his day that you would find interesting," the mayor explained. "Henry is an excellent student. He excels especially in English and History."

"He obviously gets that from your influence," the blonde admonished. "I was never very good in school. The only thing I really excelled at was hacking the system and changing my grades."

The mayor's head quirked to the side as her eyes narrowed in judgment.

"Something that was obviously very wrong and terrible and you should never do it," Emma corrected herself.

"I'm starting to re-think that dinner invite," Regina warned, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Me too," Emma took a chance at a joke. "This lasagna ain't the greatest."

Regina chuckled; her lasagna was impeccable and she knew it, "You corrupt my son and insult my cooking all in under an hour. Congratulations Sheriff, you've managed to issue forth reason for banishment from my house in less time than it took to make the splendid dish you've nearly gorged to completion."

Henry's face was going back and forth as if he were watching a tennis match.

"Maybe that's why she invited you over," the boy observed before finishing his last bite and wiping his mouth. "You're the only one who will stand up to her around here and she actually likes the challenge."

Both women looked from Henry to each other and contemplated the statement before he stood and spoke again.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to do my homework so I can keep excelling in school. I wouldn't want to grow up and find out that I lack the vocabulary to keep up with adult conversations like this."

He moved over to hug the blonde, "Goodnight Emma."

"Night, kid," she hugged back.

"Goodnight, Mom," he moved in to hug the mayor and spoke once more as he pulled away. "If you really mean this, and you actually want all of us to get along better... I'll try to do better too. Less sneaking around in dangerous places."

"_Less_ sneaking around?" The mayor raised her eyebrows.

"Hey, the sheriff has to have something to do around town if you two aren't going to be fighting all the time."

"Very funny, kid," it was Emma who zeroed in on him this time.

As he headed up to his room the two women at the table were left with the remainder of their dinner, a glass of wine, and a pregnant silence between them that they were both aware of. It was Regina who finally broke it with a bold statement.

"Henry's far more insightful than he rightfully should be for his age. I think he was right concerning what he said about our fighting... to a certain degree."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked as she finished off the last of her dinner.

Regina took a sip of the dark contents of her glass and swallowed a modicum of pride with it before allowing bare honesty to flow freely from her lips.

"Ms. Swan, people in this town are very much creatures of habit. Part of that habit is fearing me," she regaled as she allowed her dark eyes to meet the blue ones across the table. "I could step on poor little Mary Margaret's toe and she'd be the one apologizing to me for its placement. I always have a seat at Granny's because no one dares take it on the off chance that I might stop in. Dr. Hopper was so afraid of me he aided me in setting you, whom he believes to be an excellent mother to Henry, locked up in the town jail. It's tricky getting everything you want, Ms. Swan. It almost takes the joy out of life in general."

She took another sip and then continued. Wondering if Emma was afraid to speak given everything she'd just admitted to her.

"And then you came to town. You stood up to me, you carved up my favorite tree, and you even gave people the courage to stand up for themselves just by following your example. I can have losses again, and I'm not particularly pleased about that... But I can have victories as well. And it's all because of you."

Emma was floored by the honesty in Regina's statements. She'd all but admitted that the girl was responsible for making her feel alive again.

"But what does that mean?" she asked. "Are you saying that the only way for us to interact is through hostility? Because I don't want that, Regina."

"I'm saying that you and I are very different people, Ms. Swan," her tone was neither threatening, nor vicious, "but despite of, and possibly because of those differences you've given me and this town something that I'm not so sure I want to go away, anymore. Does that make any sense to you? I understand you have limited education."

The last part was said with a smile that cropped up a few seconds after the statement lingered in the air. Emma simply shook her head and smiled before picking up her plate as well as Henry's.

"I understand what you're saying but in the interest of keeping consistency, allow me to do the dishes, since that's where my skills are obviously meant to shine," she said with a wink as she moved to pick up Regina's as well.

"You really don't have to do that, Ms. Swan," the brunette said as she followed her inside. "It's rude to have a guest clean and I know my manners."

"Oh, I think we both know I'm not actually a guest," Emma corrected as she placed the dishes in the sink and started up the faucet. "I'm here on suffrage because you like having someone to argue with."

Regina gently nudged her out of the way and turned off the water, "Well, even if that is the case, I insist you cease your labors."

Emma turned the water back on and started to roll up her sleeves, "And I insist you shut-up, sit down and pour yourself another glass of wine. I'm a believer in the 'you cook, I clean' policy of dining and intend to see it through to its finish."

"Don't tell me what to do in my own home, Ms. Swan," Regina shook her head with a dangerous smile. "You wouldn't want to make me angry."

Emma moved in closer to Regina, "Actually, considering what you said just a few seconds ago. I think we're both somewhat fond of making you angry."

Their eyes were boring into each other and their breathing had become labored. Emma knew exactly what she was doing and she also knew that Regina had expressly told her not to.

"Just let me do the dishes, ok?" she asked softly, trying to keep her eyes off of lips she was dying to kiss. "You can think of it as some kind of indentured servitude if it makes you feel better."

"As you wish, Sheriff," Regina said as she moved away contemplating what had just happened.

Emma had stopped herself. It was obvious. She'd wanted to kiss her in that moment but she didn't. She was actually trying hard to respect Regina's wishes. The mayor was beside herself with warring emotions. Part of her was flabbergasted that her plan didn't work. She thought for sure that by telling the sheriff that she shouldn't do something, every fiber in her being would work towards the antecedent of the request. It was somewhat annoying that all of a sudden she'd learned to obey.

But there was another part of Regina that was feeling something different. Something warm and old. Something that she hadn't felt in a very long time. She felt cared for; not feared; not respected, but considered. Like her feelings mattered so much that a person would war with their own primal urges just to keep them safe.

"Henry was right when he spoke to you outside my door, Ms. Swan."

As she spoke, Emma turned off the water and dried her hands. Her face had fallen, but she still maintained daring eye contact with the woman before her.

"What do you want, Regina?"

The brunette swallowed hard, "I want to be able to trust you. I want to be able to believe that you aren't just sticking around to take my son away from me. That you care about him and want to actually be a part of his life. That you want to do good in this town without destroying me in the process. I don't think I actually realized it until now but that's something I want very much from you."

Emma moved closer to the mayor in all her glorious vulnerability.

"Regina, you have had that from me this entire time, you just haven't seen it," she promised. "And we're not so different. Because I want to be able to trust you too. I want to be able to take your kindness and not see it as another way to keep me from Henry."

Regina stared up at her curiously, "Do you think that can ever be possible between us?"

Emma smiled softly, "I think that, thanks to that scalding cup of coffee you spilled on me, we're taking a step in the right direction."

The mayor's face took on a look of alarm, "Oh God, I'd forgotten about that. How are you? Did it heal?"

She softly gently touched Emma's stomach and the blonde backed away as if she'd just been punched. Regina's hand flew up to her mouth as she moved in to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to hurt you again."

"It's not that," Emma shook her head. "It's just..."

_It's just what, Emma? _She thought to herself. _It's just that every time she touches you now you have to go to World War III with yourself to keep from kissing her? You can't tell her that._

"It's just..." she searched hard for something; anything to say that wasn't the truth.

And when she thought about the fact that she'd have to lie to Regina, yet again to hide her feelings she gave up.

"Screw it," she said as she raised her hands to the mayor's face and pulled her into yet another inappropriate kiss.

Regina was shocked at first, but then a smile started to grow on her lips even as they were being caressed by those of the overwhelmed sheriff. Emma had both failed and succeeded according to the brunette's own hopes because those hopes were warring with each other to begin with. The mayor kissed her back and moved a hesitant arm around the sheriff's waist and softly pulled their bodies together, trying to keep from hurting the girl's abdomen.

When they finally pulled away they opened both their eyes and their mouths. The former to try to focus back in on reality and the latter to direct much needed oxygen into their systems. Emma was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry," she said as she shook her head.

Regina scanned her brain for a response to that one. She wanted to say "Don't be" or "Me too" or "I was wrong, just do it again" but she also knew that she needed to appear as if she had some semblance of control over the situation so, when she did speak, what she said was "Yes, you should be."

And then, as if her body revolted against the very words from her lips she moved in to kiss the girl again. The meeting was not that of the night before. It wasn't angry, heated and hard. It was passionate and longing. When Emma's tongue softly licked the outside of her lips, Regina knew that it wasn't demanding entry, but requesting it. And, with a little trepidation, it was granted. This woman... this woman who enraged her to no end, this woman whom she tore away from the Charmings, this woman who was foretold to end her world... Regina was letting her into her life on more and more intimate levels.

And it felt good... Too good to not continue further, and that would be a bad idea. Regina felt like her entire defense system was crumbling all around her and she needed to understand what was going on within her. She pulled back and once again both of them were left breathless.

"We need to stop," she said.

"Uh-huh," Emma agreed.

"You should go home, Sheriff," the mayor ordered.

"Yeah, I know," the blonde acquiesced, understanding her place, as her face fell in the same way that it did the night before.

Yet as she moved to exit the home, her wrist was grabbed by the other woman. She met her eyes, not knowing exactly what she would find there.

"You should go home, not because I want you to... but because I don't," the mayor said.

Emma's only answer to her was a nod. For they were communicating now in their most efficient and intimate way; knowing glances. They'd been doing it since the blonde bounty hunter had arrived in Storybrooke. Whether enraged beyond belief or at the precipice of actual sympathy, the mayor and the sheriff were connected in an undeniable sense.

* * *

"I think understand the problem now, Sheriff," Dr. Hopper stated with a nod. "I believe you're actually more afraid of Regina being honest about her feelings, rather than the possibility of her trying to manipulate you, aren't you?"

Emma thought for a moment and finally answered, "Yeah, I think that maybe I am."

"And would you like to discuss why that might be?"

"Because the bottom has always fallen out somehow when it comes to people loving me," the blonde head shook as she answered the incredibly difficult question. "My parents abandoned me when I was born, I had a slew of foster families that never gave a crap about me, and Henry's father left me to rot in prison when I was pregnant... The reason I'm afraid of love is that it has only ever hurt me before, Doc. And if things don't pan out with Regina I may not physically survive, let alone make it emotionally. She could literally destroy me."

"I sincerely doubt that she will. Don't you think that Regina is afraid of the same thing regarding you?" he asked. "Regardless of how you see your situation, Emma, you are a beloved part of this town. Mary Margaret believed in you so much that she bailed you out of jail and gave you a place to live. The former sheriff, God rest his soul, was obviously quite fond of you; he gave you a job. And Henry's love and belief in you shines so bright it has touched us all. Regina has none of that. In all honesty, the only person who has ever been truly kind to her without want of anything is you. If she loses that, then she really has nothing."

Emma leaned forward and threaded her fingers together as if that would somehow help her come up with a better resolution to this problem. It did not, however, and she was forced to surrender to whatever advice the doctor had.

"So, what you're saying then is that there's no magical pill that can help me not feel this way about her?" she asked.

"That's correct," he nodded in answer.

"Well, then what is your suggestion, Doc? I'm all ears, here."

Dr. Hopper smiled as he answered, "Same advice I give to all of my patients; find the path of your heart and let your conscience be your guide."

To be continued...

**Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, as well is just stopping by to say you liked something about the story. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Ok, so I was going to work on the other fic I'm nearly done with, but this one would literally not let me rest. The next one will take a little longer to get out, though. I hope you guys like it.**

Chapter 3

"I've decided that I must have sex with Sheriff Swan," Regina stated just as casually as ever.

Dr. Hopper's brow furrowed in confusion, "This is quite a departure from our last session, Madame Mayor. I recall you'd decided to see if you could be more pleasant and affectionate toward the sheriff but I thought that becoming fully sexually involved was an idea of which you weren't very fond. What has changed?"

"What's changed is my inability to control my libido and, as you should well know, Doctor, I like being in charge of everything," she stated as she rested the side of her head in her hand. "These dalliances with Ms. Swan have been going on for over a week now. She's being incredibly respectful about it and it's driving me insane. I feel that if I go ahead and just scratch the itch, it won't be a problem anymore."

"Isn't it good that she's being respectful?" he asked. "Haven't you wanted that from her for quite a while now?"

"Yes, but not concerning this area of our lives!" she exclaimed. "I told her that I wished to pursue a more endearing relationship with her and that I did not want it to become physical. I thought that by telling her not to do something, she'd be compelled to do the exact opposite. And it worked at first; she kissed me that very night for she could not help her undeniable attraction to me. Then, the next day, she made it very clear that she truly wanted to make all of this work and the most important component to that was respecting my wishes. And now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"The rock and the hard place being..." Dr. Hopper waited for her to finish because he was utterly confused.

Regina rolled her eyes in frustration before speaking, "I'm stuck between having to tell her that I was wrong about what I wanted or going on with things as they are and having my desires unfulfilled."

"Or you could just tell her the complete truth," Dr. Hopper insisted.

"And what? Act like I need something from her?" she questioned, her eyes taking on a flabbergasted quality. "Dr. Hopper have you met me? Because I'm starting to wonder if you've ever paid attention to me outside of these walls, let alone within them."

Archie exhaled a sigh of frustration as he tried to make the mayor see his point, "Regina, obviously I pay a great deal of attention to you. I understand how you operate, but this seems a bit extreme. It's completely obvious that you and Ms. Swan want the same thing from all of this and _you _specifically were the one to insist upon the opposite. How is she supposed to know that you didn't mean it?"

"She not supposed to know that I didn't mean it!" Regina pounded her fists against the couch in indignation. "She's supposed to be so overwhelmed by her feelings for me that she simply cannot help acting on them. Placing me firmly in the driver's seat of this arrangement!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Regina, but I don't think I can help you force Ms. Swan into disregarding your wishes."

"That, dear Doctor, is becoming utterly apparent," she crossed her arms. "Luckily I don't need your help in figuring out how to get the sheriff to do what I want; I simply need your input on what she might do next."

"I really don't think this is a healthy exercise," he shook his head. "These sessions are supposed to be about inner growth, not making romantic guesses as if we're attending some all girls slumber party."

"How about making educated guesses within an office where you've spoken to Sheriff Swan about this very subject?" She leaned forward slowly and intimidating to make her point.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he looked away.

"Hopper, I have eyes all over this town. Do you think that I somehow don't know that Emma Swan came in here not even 24 hours after having dinner in my home?"

"I won't discuss another patient's admissions," he swore, his gaze firm. "And if that's what you've come here for today, you've underestimated my conscience, Regina."

"Oh relax, you little bug, I'm not fishing for specific details I just need to know if you think she's going to be the clingy type," she sat back and rolled her eyes again.

"And I can tell you that from the very few conversations I've had with Ms. Swan, I wouldn't be qualified to answer that anyway. If that's what you're worried about, I'd say the more important question is whether or not she's acted that way toward you so far."

Regina simply sat and thought for a bit before answering the doctor. "No, I don't believe she has. She's attentive and kind, but certainly not clingy."

"Well then, there you have it," he said. "May I ask how you plan to remedy your situation since you don't plan to tell her the truth?"

Regina smiled maniacally, "Dr. Hopper, I'm a beautiful and powerful woman. Nothing is unattainable for me; not even Sheriff Swan, with all her morals and chivalry. Tonight, when she comes over for dinner, I plan to seduce her to the point where she is begging to take me to bed."

* * *

The door to the police station rang to alert the sheriff that someone had arrived. She was surprised to see Mary Margaret standing before her with two cups of cocoa and a sack of bear claws.

"Hey there, what brings you down to the station?" Emma smiled back and helped her friend with the bundle. "Well, I haven't seen you around Granny's lately, so I figured you were too busy to grab breakfast and wanted to drop some off on my way to school."

It was then that she noticed the large cup from Granny's sitting next to Emma's computer.

"But I guess you already stopped in," she observed, confused.

"Oh, uh, no actually," she fumbled her words; really not wanting to open this can of worms, "Regina brought that in for me."

Mary Margaret's haircut always made it so that every single look that crossed her face was much more animated than that of other people. So, when Emma confided that the mayor had done something kind for her, it seemed as if her ears were preparing for takeoff and her eyes were fighting hard to break free from their sockets.

"Regina did this?" she asked. "Why? Why would Regina do something like this?"

"We're getting along better now," Emma tried to blow it off and grabbed one of the bear claws. "It's no big deal."

"But it is a big deal!" the brunette's face continued to contort. "Emma, Regina is not exactly known for being nice to people unless she wants something and what she wants from you is for you to stay away from Henry."

"I know she wanted that before but things are different now," the sheriff explained. "I've gotten to see Henry more this week than I have in nearly all of my time in Storybrooke."

"Things were different before what?" Mary Margaret asked. "What's been going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Emma averted her eyes with the deceitful admission. "We're just getting along better, that's all."

Mary Margaret sucked in a breath and her eyes grew wide yet again.

"You're lying!" she accused. "And you're lying in the same way you did when you didn't want to tell me that Sheriff Graham kissed you! Did Regina kiss you?"

"What? How did you..." Emma fumbled yet again.

"Oh my God! It's true! Regina kissed you! Do you have any idea how bad that is?"

"Hey, that's for me to decide," she fired back defensively. "Please tell me you're not judging me on this. Especially after I've been the one sticking by you throughout this whole David thing."

Mary Margaret's features fell as she thought about what Emma had just said.

"God, you're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be acting all holier-than-thou about kissing. I just..." she tried to find her words. "I'm worried about you, Emma. This is a woman who has tried to threaten every single part of your life, including visitation with your son. Do you really think you can trust her?"

"Mary Margaret, I'm not renting a U-haul here and moving in with her," Emma threw her hands up in the air. "If you must know I've stopped all physical... altercations for lack of a better word, because _she _said she didn't think it was a good idea."

"What? What do you mean?" the teacher finally sat down and grabbed her doughnut, listening with rapt attention.

Emma softly giggled to herself at the fascination her friend was exhibiting, "We didn't mean to kiss each other, it just kind of happened. Basically because we were trying to be nice to each other and then I screwed up and then we fought and somewhere in there she lunged at me. Then after that we tried doing the nice thing again and things got complicated, so we both agreed that the best thing to do would be just try to be friends."

"And that's what the cocoa is about? You two just being friends?" the brunette asked accusingly. "What else are you doing for each other? I've noticed your absence at dinner quite a few nights over the last week."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Ok, so maybe she's been inviting me to dinner too."

"Emma, you said you were with Henry!"

"I was! The kid was there every time!" she defended herself. "Also, to my previous point, I get to see Henry all the time now. No sneaking around and worry over just trying to catch a glimpse of the kid's smile."

"And what does Henry think of this?"

"Henry doesn't know anything about the kissing and he better not find out through the altruistic, yet misguided antics of his favorite teacher!" she warned.

Mary Margaret shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Of course I'm not going to tell him about that. I meant, what does he think about the two of you getting along?"

"I'll admit, he was skeptical at first, just like you," Emma nodded.

"And now?" the brunette asked.

"And now he's starting to re-think his position," she leaned in to her friend. "Look, nothing bad has happened so far with the exception of a little... sexual frustration on my part. But I'm a big girl with self control; I can deal with that."

"And you really don't think that Regina is leading you down some kind of path that will end in mortal doom? Because I wouldn't put it past her," Mary Margaret said as she sipped her cocoa.

"For the last time, no," Emma put a hand on her friend's shoulder briefly, then went back to organizing her desk. "I've got that lie detector thing going on, remember? The only thing she's lying to me about is the fact that she doesn't want things between us to be physical."

"Are you sure about that?" the teacher asked with a slight giggle.

"Oh yeah," Emma nodded, "She was lying through her teeth about that one."

"So, what are you going to do?" the brunette asked.

"Easy," the sheriff closed a file, tossed it in her outgoing bin and put her legs up on the desk. "Basically all I have to do now is wait for her to either cop to her lie or combust from the inside and beg me to take her to bed; either will be quite entertaining for me. And I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to happen tonight, since she invited me over for dinner and Henry is staying with a friend."

She grabbed her coffee and clinked the cup against the teacher's own cup before taking another satisfying bite of her breakfast.

* * *

Regina ambled through the grocery store before retiring to her home for the night. She needed to pick up a few things for the dinner she was preparing for Emma. She had to admit that this occasion was fun for her on several levels. There was the obvious level of sexual conquest that she was anticipating but there was also this added bonus of being able to eat adult food and have grown-up conversation with someone else.

For so long, Henry was the only person in her world that would actually interact with her on any real level. And even then their talks were filtered with his constant interjections about her past life in the enchanted forest. Tonight she didn't have to worry about any of that. Emma certainly didn't believe anything about that part of her history and, even if she did, didn't think she'd have the nerve to bring it up when they were trying so hard to get along.

As she made her way over to the meat station, she requested two fish filets from the butcher and placed them in her basket before turning to bump into a surprised Mary Margaret Blanchard.

"Oh, Regina!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry; I wasn't paying attention."

"Yes, I find that to be a trend with you, Ms. Blanchard; always walking around with your head in the clouds," Regina accused with a bored expression on her face.

The teacher looked into the contents of Regina's basket and noticed the different items she was picking up for dinner; her mind immediately drawn back to what Emma had said earlier that morning.

"So, are you, um," She stuttered because she knew she shouldn't be having this conversation. "Are you having dinner with someone? I heard that Henry was attending a sleepover with some of his friends."

Regina quirked her head to the side in very much the fashion of a praying mantis, "Not that it's any of your business but I have dinner plans with the Sheriff this evening. We have some private matters to discuss."

"Oh," Mary Margaret nodded; trying to seem like this news was surprising to her, "well I'm sure that will be lovely for the both of you."

She put on a smile and started to walk away but something inside of her simply wouldn't allow it. Some part of her that was desperately protective over Emma imposed itself upon her will and forced her to turn and address the mayor once more.

"Regina," she said, with more confidence than she'd ever conjured before when facing the other woman. "I'm glad that you and Emma are at a point now where you can be civil with one another. I think that is wonderful for Henry."

The mayor was somewhat taken aback, "Well, thank you, Ms. Blanchard. Not that I need your approval over my personal affairs, but the encouragement is noted and appreciated."

She turned to leave but was once again pulled back into the conversation by a hand at her elbow.

"I just hope that your intentions are good in this," Mary Margaret urged. "Because Emma is a good person and she has tried to see the best in you before when it came back to harm her. I hope that isn't the case this time."

The mayor felt her blood start to boil in a familiar way that actually brought a devilish smile to her face.

"And what could you possibly do about it either way, Ms. Blanchard?" She asked as she moved in closer. "Ms. Swan is an adult; she's taken care of herself her entire life without any help from you until very recently. What makes you think that all of sudden you have the authority to do what's best for her?"

Mary Margaret felt something deep within her break a bit from Regina's words and she didn't know why. The mayor's smile grew even wider as she noted the look of longing and heartbreak on the teachers face and she moved back away from her.

"Good day, Ms. Blanchard," she bid with a low cackle, disappearing down the aisles.

* * *

Emma lingered at the front door of the mayor's house a little longer than she normally would, due to the absence of Henry. She must have read the label on the bottle of wine at least five times before finally raising her hand to ring the bell. However, before she actually reached the button, the door opened swiftly to reveal a perplexed brunette holding a dish towel.

"Ms. Swan," she asserted. "Have you forgotten how to use the doorbell or am I to assume that the literary prowess of that wine bottle is so riveting that you simply could not put it down long enough to alert me of your presence?"

Emma stood there, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. Had Regina been watching her the whole time? Because she certainly knew exactly what she'd been doing.

"I... um..." she stuttered.

"Well, don't further exacerbate the awkwardness of the situation by standing there grunting," Regina ordered, "come inside before my neighbors decide you've taken up permanent residence on my front lawn."

She grabbed the blonde's arm and ushered her inside before grabbing the wine and commanding her to take of her signature red jacket. Emma did as she was told and they made their way into the kitchen where Regina was just finishing up the last few touches to the dinner she was preparing.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and open up the bottle of wine you're so interested in," she said, moving in close to drop off the wine key on the counter in front of Emma. "I'm almost ready."

Her tone was unmistakable; it was low, sensuous and dripped of sex. Regina had put on her full game face and was just getting started.

"Ok," Emma said half to herself and half to the other woman as she opened the wine and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard. "How was your day?"

"Not altogether remarkable, really," she said as she tossed the salad. "I did run into your beloved roommate at the market on my way home. She's certainly protective over you."

"Oh my God," Emma exclaimed. "What did she say to you?"

"Don't worry, Sheriff," she put the salad bowl on the dinner table. "She didn't say anything to specifically indict you on kissing and telling, but it was fairly obvious that she's noticed your absence over the last week. She warned me that I'd better watch myself where it concerned matters of your welfare."

"I'm sorry, Regina," the blonde apologized as she poured. "She kind of cornered me this morning when she found out you'd brought me cocoa."

"It's quite alright, dear," Regina moved in once more, her head lingering over the sheriff's shoulder as her arm reached around to grab her wine. "Mary Margaret's disapproval of me only serves to further solidify my resolve in continuing to intertwine our interests."

Taking a sip, she moved back toward the stove and set up two plates with the sautéed fish and steamed vegetables she'd prepared. Emma knew that these close encounters were not accidental. Regina was gunning for her and it was working. The blonde was finding it hard to breathe and form sentences throughout the entire discourse; and that was _not _how she intended to let the rest of the evening play out. If Regina wanted to play dirty, she was more than willing to dress up in a little mud of her own.

Putting her hand at the small of the other woman's back, she moved towards the dressed plates, "Here, let me get those. Everything smells delicious, as always."

The touch caught the brunette off guard and a small intake of breath was definitely audible to both parties involved.

The dinner table became a region of neutrality it seemed, for the first part of their evening. The food was just as wonderful as it always was and, though they tried to take an interest in each other's individual activities, the conversation almost always steered its way toward the one person they both loved more than anything else: Henry. Emma laughed heartily as Regina told some of the more embarrassing stories concerning the boy's childhood; the ones she wasn't allowed to tell when he was present.

After the third entry in the tales of Henry's misadventures, the sheriff's eyes misted a bit and she put her hand over Regina's, "Thank you for sharing these stories with me. I never thought I'd get to hear them from you considering how we've treated each other in the past. I don't think you'll ever know how much it means to me."

Regina felt her heart swell within her chest as she looked into those sincere, puppy dog eyes and took a deep breath as her emotions washed over her. She couldn't help the small smile that forced its way across her lips.

"You're welcome, Ms. Swan," she nodded.

They stared longingly at each other for a few seconds, the urge to lean in and allow their lips to meet becoming nearly paramount. It was Emma who finally broke away and stood.

"I guess I'd better earn my keep and get these cleared," she said as she took both of their plates.

Regina fell behind for just a bit, realizing that this was going to be much harder than she'd anticipated, but she finally found her feet and her words.

"Just leave those in the sink," she grabbed the wine glasses and the bottle. "I forbid you to wash dishes tonight. Henry's not home, so I don't have to set the example and clean up right away, and I'm very much enjoying the conversation up to this point. You haven't offended me once. I think that, since we're on a roll, we should ride it out as long as we can."

She grabbed the bottle and motioned her head towards the study and Emma followed without a fight.

"Ok, but don't think I'm going to make it a habit of obeying you just because you insist," the blonde stated definitively.

"Actually I think you could become quite fond of obeying me under the right circumstances, Ms. Swan," she said, her gaze had grown dark. "I know I could certainly get used to it."

Emma simply rolled her eyes and let the mayor have that one as they both found the couch and seated themselves on opposite sides, facing each other. Regina poured another two glasses of wine and handed one off to the sheriff.

"Although I do love discussing my son," she said to the blonde as she settled into the couch, propping her arm up on the back cushion and resting her head on her hand," I want to know more about you Ms. Swan."

"Ok," Emma reclined back against the side cushion, playing with her glass. "What do you want to know?"

_Perfect, _Regina thought to herself as a mischievous smile started to paint her face.

"Have you always been attracted to women?"

Emma was extremely glad she hadn't chosen that moment to take a sip of her wine because it would most definitely have flown straight from her mouth onto the mayor's very expensive couch; thus ending the wonderful repartee they'd established throughout the evening.

"Uhhhh... I..." She stumbled yet again.

"Oh dear, please don't tell me you've reverted back to the guttural sounds as your mode of communication," the brunette deadpanned as she sipped her wine.

Emma shook her head, "No, I um, was just caught off guard. That's a pretty bold question to just throw out there."

"Well, I've never been one for tiptoeing around anything," Regina noted. "Does the question bother you?"

"No, I..." Emma was going to try to defend her surprise, then simply let the issue die off and answered question at hand. "I've been attracted to women throughout different parts my life. I mean, obviously I'm attracted to men as well, but there have been women in the past that have caught my attention in that way."

Regina nodded as if that answer was acceptable to her and Emma followed up with a question of her own.

"What about you?" she asked. "Have you been attracted to women before..."

"Before you, Ms. Swan?" the brunette asked with a huff. "Of course I have. Don't go thinking you've broken some kind of psychological mold for me concerning my proclivities."

The blonde rolled her eyes shook off the defensive remarks, "Have you ever been with a woman?"

Once again, Regina became somewhat preoccupied with consuming her wine. Finally she answered "no," looking daringly at the sheriff before asking a question of her own, "Have you?"

"Yes," Emma answered without hesitation, before delving into her wine as well.

Regina drained the remnants of her glass and poured another as she asked, "What was it like?"

The blonde took in a deep breath as she tried to figure out a way to describe the experience without seeming embarrassed.

"It was softer than I'd expected, though I'm not sure why I didn't anticipate that," she started. "There was a comfortability to it that made it seem so easy to just fall into and go with the flow. There wasn't a lot of fumbling like there is sometimes with a man. And because of the logistics of the situation, sometimes, you can literally feel what is happening to the other person's body as you're touching it. And since you are a woman, you kind of have your own understanding of what she's going through. It's almost as if it creates this odd sense of trust between the two of you."

Regina's breathing had sped up as she listened to the woman's description; she was done playing around. It was time to go in for the kill so that she could find out exactly what the blonde was talking about. Putting her glass of wine down on the coffee table, she leaned forward and brought her face closer to Emma's; her left hand propping itself against the arm of the couch next to the blonde head.

"You know, when I was the evil queen," she said as the sheriff put on a smile that mimicked hers. She had no idea that the admission Regina was about to make was completely true, "I used to take the hearts of whom I wanted to control," her voice dropped an octave as she moved her hand above the sheriff's heart. "When I would reach inside, and hold their life in my hands, there was a moment of intimacy so profound that it normally created some sort of connection between me and my conquests."

Emma's breathing had become labored as well given the proximity of the mayor and the sensuality her words, "Is that what you want to do to me, Regina? Take my heart?"

Regina looked somewhat distressed and saddened by that question. For some reason, all she could see in her head was the violent action of ripping the blonde's heart from her chest; though she knew that's not what was meant by the statement.

"I don't do that anymore," she answered.

"Well, I guess I'm safe then," Emma said with a smile; trying to lighten the mood.

Regina smiled back, "I wouldn't go that far, Ms. Swan."

When Regina didn't move Emma started to get a little antsy due to the close proximity and the intensity of the conversation. Then she thought about it and started to get angry at the fact that Regina was making her antsy and decided to call her on it.

"Then what do you want to do to me, Regina?" she spoke up. "You told me you didn't want to make this a physical thing, yet you're nearly on top of me right now. Are you trying to drive me insane or is this your new way of torturing me? Because it's not working."

"It's not?" Regina's look and tone dripped with disbelief.

"No, it's not," Emma moved in closer as she spoke, giving the mayor a dose of her own medicine. "Actually it's only serving to make me angry because I am trying my hardest to respect your wishes and I will not fail."

Regina simply stared at her quizzically. Emma Swan never failed to completely confound her.

"The only person you're torturing right now is yourself, Regina," Emma said, their lips so close the brunette could feel the words she spoke. "And all you'd have to do to end it is tell me that you want me. Then, I'll personally show you what it's like to be with a woman."

The dark head above her shook as the mayor broke eye contact, "That would be admitting defeat."

"No, that would be admitting the truth; and you know it," the blonde took the mayor's chin in her hands and forced their eyes to meet again. "There's a difference."

"Sheriff Swan, the last two lovers I've taken ended up dead," she challenged. "The past would indicate that doing this would not bode well for you."

Emma sighed and shook her head, "You're just afraid."

"I fear nothing," Regina growled.

"Then stop stalling and say it, Regina," Emma bit back.

Regina stared menacingly at her as she summoned every ounce of bravery she had and finally, desperately, said, "I want you."

And with that Emma did not hesitate to close the distance between their lips and wrap and arm around the mayor; crashing their bodies together. She then turned them so that she was completely on top of the other woman; holding her in a way that was both dominating and comforting all at the same time. The blonde felt the need to convey that, for once in their dealings together, she was in charge but would not hurt Regina.

The mayor responded with equal intensity as her hands grasped, clutched and stroked at the sheriff's body. It was the truth: she did want Emma. And she was starting to believe that she'd wanted her all along. All those times she'd pick fights just be near the sheriff. All of the manipulating and set-ups. Everything had been done to foster more interactions, not to protect her son. She knew even from the beginning that the blonde would protect Henry with her last breath. Regina had been fighting battles never knowing that she wanted them to end like this. With Emma's lips caressing her jaw, her teeth raking across her neck, her hands owning full expanses of her skin, and her body moving rhythmically against her own.

And she wanted more of it. That's why she tempered her passion momentarily and pushed the woman back.

"We need to move this upstairs, Sheriff," she ordered. "I'm sure this is quite your style, but I'll not be satisfied humping like teenagers on my couch."

Emma softly chuckled and then moved away offering a hand to the woman who'd just insulted her and invited her up to her bedroom in one fell swoop.

"Lead the way, your majesty," she offered.

Regina smirked as she took the hand and did just that, "It would appear our first order of business is to find a way for you to otherwise occupy your mouth."

* * *

Regina's bedroom was actually less lavish and dark than Emma had expected it to be. She wasn't assuming it to be a dungeon or anything, but she also didn't anticipate the warmth the chamber exuded.

"Nice digs," she remarked.

Regina looked at her, appalled and said, "I'm going to pretend that I didn't just bring someone into my bedroom that would make that remark."

She moved in to kiss the sheriff before the woman had any time for rebuttal. Emma didn't mind so much when she realized her blouse was being opened by nimble and adept fingers. She decided this was a fairly decent indicator that it was ok to do the same to the mayor.

But as the clothes started to come off, Emma noticed quicker and jerkier movements from the brunette; it was all very taciturn. Almost as if she were trying to get it over with... or, and this seemed unfathomable, as if she were nervous.

"Hey," the sheriff stated as she moved her hands back to Regina's face; forcing their eyes to meet. "It's not a race, ok?"

She moved forward so that the mayor was guided back toward the bed, which Emma guided her onto, while simultaneously removing her stylish shoes and slacks. Within a few seconds the blonde had divested herself of her own clothing and they were both naked and bare to each other. She moved onto the bed to join the mayor and felt as if they'd somehow fallen into a soft cocoon of warmth and pleasure.

"You are absolutely breathtaking, Regina," she said as she stroked the face below her.

She kissed her so that the woman didn't have a chance to come back with some kind of snide defensive statement that would ruin the mood altogether, then began her trek down the gorgeous body. Emma took her time with each and every touch, kiss and caress; finding it wholly satisfying to figure out what Regina liked just by listening to the sounds that issued forth from her mouth.

The mayor's voice had always had an effect on the blonde. It had served to enrage her, threaten her, excite her... but now it was serving to further arouse her. Exploring Regina's body was somewhat like playing an instrument: a gentle hand stroking her breast was answered by a soft and high whimper, a slight nip the shoulder evoked a sharp intake of breath, and hard grind of the hip bone against her most sensitive part elicited a deep, guttural moan that aroused the sheriff to no end.

Emma focused heavily on experiencing every inch of exposed skin. Moving back up to where she started, the sheriff braced herself with her left arm and bent down to kiss the mayor softly before pulling back dragging her right hand down the expanse of her chin, to her neck, to her heart where it found a temporary resting place.

"Your heart is beating really fast," the sheriff noted. "Are you doing ok, so far?"

Regina tried to calm her breathing as she also fought to find her words. Emma Swan may have the vocabulary, sensibilities and maturity of a sophomoric teenager in most circumstances but the bedroom was not one of them. The woman was disarming her with every movement and it was both driving her crazy and making her want to beg for more. Never before had Regina been so devoid of control. Even when she was with Graham, everything was all so predictable because she called the shots no matter what. With Emma it was completely different; like feeling as if you're going to cry as you endure the climb of a roller coaster, then screaming with both fear and then delight as you finally take the fall.

"You are..." Regina tried to find some sort of demeaning, yet clever way to respond but in the end she just didn't have it in her. So she opted for the truth. "One of the most evocative people I've ever met Miss, Swan."

Emma quirked her eyebrows, not sure if that was a compliment.

"Ok, am I evoking good things in you right now, or bad things?"

"You're making me feel a lot of things right now, but none more paramount than the desire to feel more of them all," Regina responded. "Don't stop... please."

It was soft, and she looked away when she said it, but Regina Mills did just plead to Emma Swan. In so many other cases the blonde would have taken this and thrown it back in her face so hard that it would have left a mark. But now, looking down at a very vulnerable mayor, Emma simply softened her features, placed a gentle kiss against Regina's lips and said, "As you wish".

And as she lowered herself back down to feast on Regina's body, they fell into a dance that seemed as natural and timed as the ticking of a clock. Emma let go of every pain the mayor had ever inflicted upon her and simply worshipped her as if she were a goddess. She was everywhere; softly pinching her nipple, sucking hungrily on her clit, probing patiently at her entrance until finally Regina was begging for final release.

Emma reluctantly dragged her lips back up the woman's body and hovered above her; forcing Regina once more to meet her gaze. She wanted to see every expression and hear every moan as clearly as she could once Regina went over the edge. So, with one slow but firm push, she entered the mayor for the first time.

That was definitely her favorite sound of the night. She let her weight slowly meld onto the mayor as she plunged in and out of her incredibly wet opening and used her thumb to stroke intently at her clit. They settled into a rhythm during this act as well and Emma was pulled even closer to the mayor as the tempo picked up. Nails scratched at the sheriff's back right before the crescendo; they were sure to leave marks the next day.

Emma watched as Regina came hard. The mayor did everything with passion and flare and this was no different. The sounds that emanated from her throat were matched with the intensity of the staining of her face. She looked as if she were twisted in a mixture of pleasure and pain that had taken her completely out of this world.

And when she finally started to come down, Emma was there holding her tight and kissing her into a soft landing. Their bodies were sweaty and their features were flushed as they both focused on reconfiguring how to breathe.

There were about a million things each woman wanted to say to the other, but words seemed to trite in the face of a physical expression that felt like it had fractured reality.

Regina could tell that Emma was suddenly worried. Her brow had furrowed and her lips grew tight; as if she didn't know whether or not she was about to be chastised for what she'd just done. It would have been so easy for Regina to just slip back into the evil mayor facade she threw around to get what she wanted. She could pat the Sheriff on the head, call her a good girl and send her back off to that hovel she called a home. Regina would have all the power yet again and she and Emma could go right back to despising each other at every turn.

That's certainly what she'd intended to accomplish tonight. So, why wasn't she doing it?

The answer existed within the blue eyes looking down at her with such innocence. Emma was a good person to the very core of her being and it wasn't because of her lineage, but rather in spite of it. She may have had the annoying need to always save the day, but it wasn't faltering like that of her mother and father. Emma had stood by her past every emotional dagger she'd thrown.

And that meant that she couldn't simply cast the sheriff off in that moment as if she were some mangy mutt that had tracked mud on her carpet.

So, instead, she rolled them both over offered up a look to the blonde that told her everything was going to be alright; at least for that night, she was with Regina. Not the evil queen, not the sadistic mayor, but Regina; the kind, brave woman who loved horses and Henry.

She leaned down and gave the sheriff a slow and luxurious kiss as she settled in to explore her body. The blonde was soft but muscular, practically all over; much like the way her stomach felt the day it was burned by the cup of coffee.

She could tell by Emma's breathing and her body language that the woman was probably close to release and possibly teetering on the edge. Everything she did elicited a desperate response that seemed only to be outmatched by the next. Regina knew that thorough exploration she longed to have with the blonde's body would possibly have to wait. The thought was somewhat disappointing until it was erased by the one that followed a soft stroke between Emma's legs.

Emma was drenched, and the movement cause moans to emanate from both sheriff and mayor as they locked eyes once more. The very idea that she could instigate this kind of reaction from someone she'd fought with so hard seemed to reignite Regina's passion to its prior, longing state. She moved to continue the ministrations of her hand, but with featherlike insistence.

Molding her body even closer to Emma's she leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"You know, Sheriff, I recall earlier this evening, you insisting that I tell you what I wanted before we could proceed," she licked, and then nipped softly at the earlobe so close to her lips before continuing. "How fitting you should find yourself on the other end of that predicament now."

"Regina please," she breathed.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, but you're going to have to be much more specific than that," she burred deeply with a chuckle.

"Touch me, please," Emma urged her.

"Mmmm, we're getting closer," Regina said as she moved back up to look into Emma's eyes, "but I'm already touching you, Ms. Swan. Tell me what you want."

Emma breathed hard and kicked herself for being so persistent with Regina earlier. With one final sigh, she finally surrendered.

"I want to feel you inside of me, Regina," she said. "I want you to make me come."

And with a smile of triumph the mayor leaned in to reward her with kiss and slipped inside the blonde sheriff.

It was incredible; so warm, wet and inviting. The mayor found herself breathing heavily as well and, once more, her body sought out its own release as she worked hard at taking Emma there. The blonde squirmed, moaned and clutched at her as they both rose to monumental heights all at the same time and, as she finally pushed the girl over the precipice, she came with her as well.

There was something all too familiar about the way she felt at that moment. It was so similar to what she'd experienced when taking other people's hearts, but it was also the complete antecedent. This was giving, not taking. It was comforting, not threatening. The blonde's body was pulsing around her, not the other way around. It was an experience so profound that it shattered all of the mayor's defenses and caused her to do the one thing she'd managed to avoid the entire time she'd known the one who was foretold to destroy her; she addressed the savior by name.

"Emma."

That was it. It was two syllables expressed in whisper. Anywhere else in the world the sound would have probably gone unnoticed. It held no more importance than 'a rose by any other name'. But in the town of Storybrooke, at the Mill's residence, in the mayor's bed, it was magic; real magic. A magic that was sweeping through the town like a ripple, unbeknownst to participants in the event.

And so, in the bliss of ignorance and satiation, the two women found respite within each other and fell into a deep and contented sleep.

…One that they would certainly need for the days to come.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I'd like a refund for my last session because your advice totally blew," Emma said from her seat on the couch across from Dr. Hopper.

Archie exhaled, "Ok, I take it your evening with the mayor didn't go very well?"

"Oh the evening went fine. The evening went fantastic. It was this morning that was an epic fail," she answered, crossing her arms in disdain. "And what the hell is going on around here? I had, like, four people come up to me just on the way to your office, talking about vivid dreams of some kind of past lives."

The doctor's face lit up with exasperation, "Wait, you too? I thought it was just me. You're actually lucky I was able to see you because I literally got booked up for the rest of the week from people wanting to talk to me about these very intense dreams that make no sense."

Emma's brow furrowed and she leaned forward to discuss a different disturbing matter than the one she'd previously come by for.

"You're booked through the week? What do you think is going on? Has the whole town been affected by some kind of weird mass hysteria?" she asked.

"Well, it can't be the whole town, you don't seem to want to talk about your dreams," he pointed out.

"No, I don't," she shook her head. "I actually slept really soundly last night."

She shook her head in disgust, realizing that she'd slept so soundly next to Regina.

"Did you have any strange dreams?" she asked him.

Archie's face seemed to close off, but he did offer up a small answer.

"Actually I did," he said. "It was brief but I remember I had some odd dream about walking into a cottage and seeing a set of dolls. The emotions were..." he wanted to say painful but this was her therapy session not his, "very raw. Anyway, that's not why we're here. We can discuss what's going on with the town in a professional capacity later. Right now, we need to focus on your reaction to what happened with Regina."

"Pfft," Emma guffawed, "you mean her reaction to waking up with me."

"So, you did sleep together?" he asked.

"Of course we slept together. Come on, Archie. Sometimes I think that the only time Regina and I make sense is when we're getting physical with each other; whether she's punching me or I'm kissing her."

"And things went wrong when the physical activity ceased?"

"Yeah, basically," she leaned forward and rested elbows on her knees, running one hand through her hair. "We had an amazing night; literally fell asleep in each other's arms. Then, boom, morning came."

* * *

Emma awoke to the sound of heels clicking on hard flooring of Regina Mills' bathroom. She was fully dressed in predictably conservative attire and putting on the finishing touches to her makeup.

"Hey, good morning," Emma said sleepily as she rubbed at her eyes and sat up in the bed.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan," Regina replied before applying her lipstick.

_Seriously? You were inside my body last night; you can't call me by my first name this morning? _She thought to herself.

Every single brick of the wall that she'd managed to tear down last night was back in place as much as the mayor's put-together appearance. Still, Emma tried to extend the intimacy.

"Hey, do you want to go with me to Granny's this morning?" she asked, putting her clothes on. "Maybe let me buy you breakfast as a thank you for such a nice evening?"

Regina exited the bathroom and looked at her as if she'd grown two heads.

"Ms. Swan, you've had no shower, are wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday and, though there isn't a hugely noticeable difference, your hair certainly looks like the product of a night of passion. The only place you need to be going now is home to make yourself presentable as Sheriff of this town."

"Gee, I'm glad I decided to speak to you before your morning coffee," Emma joked. "That was a great idea on my part."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to," Regina responded.

But she did. She knew exactly what Emma was talking about. As soon as she'd woken up in the blonde's arms, Regina had retreated deeply back into herself. She was being short and cruel on purpose; only this time, it didn't feel good. And that scared her more than anything; causing the facade to grow to even greater heights.

Emma shook her head as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening. Was Regina truly capable of being that hot and cold all in one twenty-four hour period?

"You've got to be kidding me," she huffed to herself, jerking on one of her boots.

"About what?" Regina asked, ready for battle.

"Your bedside manner, Madame Mayor," Emma answered as she searched for the other boot.

"Oh come now, dear," she crossed her arms. "Surely you didn't expect breakfast in bed and some sort of pathetic back and forth on 'how wonderful life is now we're in each other's world'."

"No, but I didn't expect to simply be added to the notches on your belt marked 'Sheriff', right before being kicked out and told I'm dirty," Emma answered as she made her move toward the door.

"In all seriousness, Miss Swan, I hardly think this is the worst morning you've experienced after a night of passion."

The words were out of her mouth before she'd even had the chance to truly think them through. They were cruel, even for Regina and her face took on a brief, but shocked expression as she took them in.

Emma's face was shocked as well for a moment but the surprise rapidly turned to pain which she tried to mask with anger as soon as she realized it, but it was too late. Regina saw it. And she knew from those brief seconds that, with absolute certainty, this was not the worst morning Emma had experienced after a sexual encounter.

The blonde tore her eyes away from the brown ones that had looked so kindly upon her mere hours ago and focused on the door.

"Yeah, you're right about that, Madame Mayor."

There was something broken in her voice as she said the words and exited the house without a single look back.

Regina had pushed too hard and she knew it. Emma grew up in the foster system because of Regina's actions; the many different scenarios that crossed the mayor's mind as to what her insinuation might have awakened caused an ache to swell within her heart.

She'd simply meant to slow down the intimacy of the situation, not destroy the woman who'd shown her so much compassion.

There were so few times in her life that Regina had envisioned herself to be truly as evil as everyone in her old world believed her to be, but this was one of them. Emma had tried at every turn to make things work, even on a platonic level, between the two of them. And even when things became truly horrendous she was there to protect Regina. It made no sense for the older woman to try to push her away so forcefully, yet every part of her being felt the need to make it so.

Shaking all of the complicated thoughts out of her head she moved back to her mirror to finish preparing herself for her day when she heard her cell phone ringing from her nightstand. It was Kathryn, who was, at the moment, possibly her only friend.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Regina," the woman's voice sounded somewhat panicked. "I'm sorry to call you so early, but I just had the most disturbing dream and I just can't get it out of my head. Honestly it wasn't even like a dream; it was more like a memory."

Regina rolled her eyes and started to remember why she was so fond of not having friends.

"Kathryn, I know that dreams can be somewhat jolting but we must remember that they're not reality," she said, hoping to calm the woman enough so she wouldn't have to hear about it.

"I know, I know," she replied, trying not to seem like a raging maniac, "but it was so sad. I was in love with this man named Frederick and he sacrificed himself to save my father. And it was so strange because he somehow turned into gold."

Regina's entire body froze midway through putting on her jacket as she took in words that threatened to shatter her new reality.

"Can you repeat that?"

* * *

Exiting the bathroom within her apartment, Emma was still shaking her head as she tried to rid it of the memories of that morning. Her hair was still somewhat damp from the shower she'd just taken and she straightened out the tank top that world inevitably rest beneath her favorite red leather jacket.

"Good morning, sunshine," Mary Margaret said, handing her a cup of coffee and waiting to see if Emma was going to spill about why she was out all night.

"Yeah, right," Emma huffed, but thanked her friend with her eyes as she took the cup of coffee.

"Ok... Not-so-good morning?" the teacher inquired.

"Let's just say that I'm not ready to hear 'I told you so' just yet, but I think the moment of my acceptance will be coming much sooner than you might have anticipated."

"What did she do, Emma? Did she hurt you?" the brunette moved in closer, a sense of protectiveness washing over her.

"She did exactly what Regina always does. She acts nice one minute in order to get what she wants then, bam, she turns the tables and reverts back to the total emotional cripple that we all know and despise."

Mary Margaret's brow furrowed and her expressive eyes emoted genuine sympathy she put a hand over the blonde's.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I know that you were hoping the two of you could at least have a civil relationship with each other. Do you think that's off the table as well?"

"Who knows with her," Emma answered, shaking her head. "Anyway, how was your night? Anything special happen?"

"No, nothing really of note..." She answered, obviously holding something back.

Emma squinted her eyes at the teacher, "You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I mean," she tried to figure out how she wanted to word her next sentence. "It's just I had this ridiculously vivid dream about David."

Pulling back a bit, Emma commented, "Ok, before this runs into TMI territory I think I'm going to take my coffee to-go."

"No, it wasn't like that," Mary Margaret rolled her eyes before they, yet again, took on a faraway look. "You're going to laugh, but it was like he was some kind of prince and I was a bandit. I tried to steal from him, but he caught up to me... I called him Charming just to be difficult."

The teacher paused, letting the memory of a dream of a memory sink in over her before speaking again.

"It felt so incredibly real... I can't explain it."

Emma simply let a sweet smile cross her face as she clapped the other woman on the shoulder and prepared to leave.

"Maybe you were trying to steal him away and not his valuables," she joked. "Kind of your brain's way of dealing with all of the feelings you're having?"

Sighing, Mary Margaret nodded, "Probably so. Perhaps it's best I just forget about it."

"Nah, I wouldn't go that far," Emma said as she opened the door to leave and make her appointment with Dr. Hopper. "No reason to kill a memory of David being charming. It's not like it'll hurt anyone."

And with that Mary Margaret smiled and nodded to the sound of the door closing and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"Ms. Swan, I think you and I both know that Regina is very closed off emotionally," Archie reasoned. "Given what you've told me I would imagine that her reaction had less to do with you and more to do with a situation that's very new to her."

"It's not that new to her, Dr. Hopper. I think the entire town is aware of her previous encounters with the last Sheriff of Storybrooke."

"Is that what the issue is?" he asked. "You're worried that this is simply a novelty to her? One that is easily replaced?"

"How am I not supposed to think that?" She asked.

He sighed, "I certainly can't speak for the mayor, Emma, but I truly don't think she'd be that fickle regarding you. You two have a very special relationship due to your connection to Henry. Even if she did just have a proclivity toward the position you hold, I don't think she'd risk unsettling the boy."

"Then why can't she just act like a normal human being and not this freakishly damaged tornado out to destroy every emotion in her path?"

"Perhaps because she has been emotionally damaged that much," Dr. Hopper offered. "I can't divulge information about Regina's past, partially because even I have been unsuccessful in getting her to talk about it, but I can tell you with a modicum of certainty that people aren't just born that way; things happen. Sometimes terrible things. And it takes a lot to get past that. I doubt one night of passion would suffice."

"And what if I'm just not cut out to deal with that level of pain?"

"Then you have to do what's right for you, Emma," he answered. "You can't be a savior to everyone in this town."

Something about his statement sent a chill up her spine. So much so that it threw her off of the entire point of the session.

"Speaking of which, let's get back to that whole dream thing that seems to be going around the town," she said.

"But your time isn't up. Don't you want to talk more about yourself?"

"Next time," she brushed it off. "What can you tell me about this? What do you think is going on?"

"It could be a lot of things," he explained. "Sure, mass hysteria is a possibility, but let's not jump to that conclusion just yet. Granny may not have had the freshest food on the menu, maybe it was a full moon, perhaps one person started it and everyone else just started wanting to be a part of the conversation. There are a lot of possibilities, but none of them seem to be dangerous at this point. Certainly nothing that would require the assistance of law enforcement."

Emma quirked her lips on one side and decided that he might be right but didn't let it go completely.

"Ok, I'll call off the troops for now but will you keep me updated on any influx of calls on this? I want to at least try to monitor it," she stood and put her jacket on. "Plus, I have to report my findings to our illustrious Mayor this afternoon because apparently she's somewhat perplexed by it as well."

"Before you go, Sheriff," Archie stood to stop her, "it's obvious that you're going to have to deal with the mayor no matter what's going on between the two of you on a sexual level, do you know how you're going to do that? What does she mean to you?"

Emma thought for a few minutes and one word, however ambivalent, simply would not leave her head. So, she simply expelled it with her mouth before exiting the doctor's office.

"Something."

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Regina demanded as she stormed into Mr. Gold's shop.

"Madam Mayor," he stood at attention. "Always such a pleasure to witness your dynamic entrances."

"Uggh, do not patronize me today, Gold. I have no intention of sustaining it," she came right up to his counter and leveled an accusatory stare at him. "Why are they all having dreams about their former lives?"

"Can't help you there, dearie," he smiled, "this has got nothing to do with me."

"Then what is causing it and how do we stop it?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I don't think I have to tell you just exactly how much your interests would be compromised if the curse were fully broken. You've got a lot of enemies here, Gold. Possibly more than me."

"And I'm well aware of that but it still doesn't change the fact that I don't have a conclusive answer for you yet," his tone was becoming impatient. "Now, if you'll kindly stop launching threats my way we can talk about the most probable cause of these episodes."

"Which is?"

"There's only one kind of magic that this land has in common with ours: true love. So, unless you've stowed away some of your own magic and are using it right now just annoy me, I'd be looking for love in all the wrong places... Starting with Mary Margaret and David. They certainly seem to be getting close these days."

"Snow White," Regina spat as fire roared behind her eyes. "Of course, it's her. Only that oblivious little worm could possibly manage to ruin my life in two different worlds."

"And perhaps the mayor could make a visit to the school board and mention how lascivious it would seem to the children if they had a home wrecker for a teacher," he suggested. "Not enough to get her fired, mind you. If that happened then she'd have no reason left not go after Charming. No, just enough to threaten her livelihood so she stays away for her future prosperity."

"And ours," Regina said with a sadistic smile. "I must admit, Gold, I didn't know how useful you'd be in this form, but I forget that you're even more calculating than I am."

"What can I say? It's a gift and a curse," he tossed out the joke as if it were the bathwater. "Now, if our business is done here, I'd like to get back to not being in your presence, your Majesty. If you please."

Regina rolled her eyes and exited the shop with less anxiety than she'd entered it with and made her way to the office of the school board.

* * *

Emma took a deep breath before raising her hand to knock on the door of the mayor's office. It was literally the last place she wanted to be at the moment but she knew if she didn't show up to report to Regina about the strange things happening in town she'd have to deal with an even more uncomfortable meeting the next time they saw each other.

"Come in," Regina answered the knock from her desk as she filled out her paperwork.

Emma entered the office and closed the door before approaching the desk.

"Sheriff Swan," Regina addressed her with an air of narcissism. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Regina had completely forgotten about the fact that she'd requested Emma's presence concerning the dreams the townspeople were having. Thinking she'd gotten the problem under control with her little visit to the school board, she didn't really have need to think about it anymore. So, when she saw the blonde standing before her, she assumed it was because the sheriff simply couldn't keep herself away; and that pleased Regina greatly, no matter what she planned to do about it.

"You asked me here earlier today," Emma looked at her as if she'd gone insane and received a similar look in return. She decided to elaborate. "You wanted to discuss the mass dreams sweeping across Storybrooke. You seemed pretty adamant about it."

"Oh, right!" Regina said, standing and shaking her head in what Emma swore was embarrassment. "Of course. And what do you have to report?"

She moved toward the front of her desk and leaned back against it as she awaited the sheriff's findings.

"Well, I discussed it with Dr. Hopper and he seems to think that it's probably just a blip," Emma explained, stuffing her hands in her back pockets. "There are a lot of factors that could explain what's going on, but he doesn't seem to think any of them are dangerous at this point. I'd say our best bet is to simply monitor the situation and stay vigilant."

Regina nodded, noting that the blonde obviously wanted nothing to do with her or the conversation, and for some reason it caused a twinge of pain to run through her chest. It was the same ache she'd felt earlier that morning when she'd been so openly cruel to the woman. And she didn't know how to make it go away, so she simply focused on the matter at hand.

"Good, well, I'm sure you'll do a fine job of monitoring the situation and report back to me if it becomes more serious," the mayor said.

Emma looked at her quizzically.

_Did she just give me a compliment?_

"Right," Emma answered simply before turning to leave. "Well, if that'll be all...'

As the blonde made her way to the door Regina searched desperately for a reason for her to stay but all she could come up with was the truth; and before she could stop herself she was calling out to the girl.

"Actually that's not all, Sheriff," she said, not quite knowing what she was going to follow it up with when Emma turned back to await further instruction.

Regina's features started to look somewhat scared and vulnerable as she forced herself to follow up her statement.

"I owe you an apology for the way I handled things this morning," she started.

Emma waited for more to come forth from her mouth, but it seemed to be stuck, "Ok?" she prompted.

"So, I apologize," Regina stated as if she were placing an order for office supplies.

The blonde looked at her as if she couldn't be serious, but the mayor offered up nothing else for her to work with. Emma simply exhaled an annoyed breath and said "accepted" before moving to leave again.

"Wait, where are you going?" Regina asked, confused as to why they weren't well on their way to make-up sex at this point. Wasn't that how these things worked?

"Home," Emma answered, without looking back, and opened the door to leave.

"But I apologized," Regina asserted, moving swiftly to shut the door and move herself between it and Emma.

"And it was a shitty apology that I accepted."

"It was the first genuine apology I've given in," Regina stammered, "... in so long that I can't remember the last time I've actually given one."

"And that's something for you to discuss with Dr. Hopper; not me," The blonde pressed. "Now let me go."

"No," Regina argued.

"No? Really?" Emma pulled back and crossed her arms. "You're taking the town Sheriff hostage because she's doesn't want to hang out with you?"

"Ms. Swan I am trying here!" Regina protested indignantly.

"EMMA! Emma! My fucking name is Emma, Regina!" she stated, at wits end. "You had your tongue in my mouth last night and your hands all over me. You do not get to use me to sate some odd fascination you have for law enforcement officials, talk to me as if I'm a whore the next morning, give me some crappy apology for it and still create this verbal barrier between us by not saying my name!"

The blonde had closed the physical distance between them as she passionately spoke. So much so that Regina wondered if they were about to kiss because the only other alternative was that the blonde was about to head butt her and, though it was obvious she was hurt and angry, Regina knew that the sheriff would never intentionally hurt her. She simply wasn't like that.

"Emma," the name finally crossed her lips for the second time as she looked down in defeat. "Please don't go."

Green eyes bored into Regina's face as the blonde's jaw clenched and unclenched in frustration.

"Why do you want me to stay?" she asked.

Regina tried to meet her gaze, but it just wasn't going to be possible to do that and simultaneously answer the question. So she opted just to speak and take in a visual inventory of the semi shiny shoulder of Emma's jacket.

"Because I treated you horribly this morning and you didn't deserve it at all," she swallowed both a lump in her throat as well as her pride. "I am not an easy person to be around, as you well know Ms... Emma. I'm quite used to people running away from that. Graham certainly wanted no part of it outside of our arrangement."

She finally met the sheriff's eyes and continued.

"This thing, whatever it is, between us isn't there because you're the sheriff; it's there because you make me feel. And that's something that scares me. What I did this morning I did out of fear that these feelings that I have; that I like, would go away eventually because you would go away eventually. So, in order to keep control of the situation I pushed you away. I did so in a very cruel manner and when I saw that I'd hurt you... it hurt me."

Emma's brow had fallen midway through the mayor's speech. She couldn't believe the honesty that was being offered up to her by Regina Mills: Evil Queen of Henry's fairytale fantasies.

"That's why I wanted you to stay; even if you leave right now and never come back," the brunette finished and looked away; the emotions becoming too much for her. "I needed you to know that I am sorry for what I did because you mean... something... to me."

Emma looked down and let out a sigh of frustration, elation and confusion as she let the information settle in. Finally she looked back up and once again forced Regina to meet her gaze.

"Ask me what I want," she instructed the mayor.

Regina closed her eyes briefly and shook her head as she realized that she shouldn't have had to be prompted to do so, then looked back up at the sheriff and obeyed.

"What do you want, Emma?" she added the last part as an apology for how genuinely terrible she was at basic human interactions.

"I want you to stop playing games with me," she said; softly this time. "I want you to quit putting us on different sides in every aspect of our lives. I want you to look back on all of the times I've stood by you only to have my nose popped like a bad puppy in spite of my efforts and realize that I want to be a good thing in your life. I've been trying to do so for a long time. I want you to do all of these things because as strong as you may think I am, I have baggage too. Heavy, heavy baggage that exists within my past and because you already know that, you understand exactly how to hurt me and I can't take too many more punches like the one you threw this morning, ok?"

Regina looked down briefly in shame as she nodded and brought her head back up, "Ok."

"I also want you to know that I forgive you," Emma said as she moved her hands to gently hold Regina's face. "And I want to know if you want to kiss me right now as much as I want to kiss you."

A pensive smile made its way across Regina's face as she once again nodded her head, "I'd like that very much right now."

The blonde moved in to allow their lips to meet and, upon completion of their journey, felt a pulse of intensity rush through her. Regina felt it as well. In fact, the entire town did too. Regina moaned into the kiss as she allowed the gentle exploration that Emma was trying to open her up to. It was sweet and unhurried by the insistence of lust. The blonde didn't demand entrance into her mouth, she asked for it and it was granted by a more than willing host. Regina allowed herself to be filled and explored in a way that was more touching than arousing and she tried her best to reciprocate by following the example that had been so carefully laid out before her.

It was Emma who finally pulled back but as she did she felt a hand move up to gently stroke her face. It wasn't pulling her back; wasn't forcing any kind of will upon her, it was simply there on the basis of adoration. And, once again that day, she was completely floored by Regina's actions.

"You have got to be one of the most complicated people I've ever met, Regina Mills," she admitted. "I hope you're glad that I'm stubborn and don't like to give up on things I can't figure out."

"It's a gift and a curse," Regina mimicked Gold's words from earlier that day and allowed the bittersweet taste to linger in her mouth.

"Would you like to go to Granny's with me for some food?" she asked for the second time that day.

"I'd like that very much, Emma," Regina answered the right way this time.

* * *

All across town people were struck simultaneously with an odd sense of déjà vu. It wasn't something that everyone wanted to talk about but, sure enough, it was there. And the more they tried to grasp at what their minds were trying to tell them, the more they were brought back to the dreams they'd had just the night before.

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you guys like it? Hate it? Are you indifferent to it? Let me know. I love feedback.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Emma's Therapy Session:

"It's actually going great.

* * *

Regina's Therapy Session:

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but it feels like things are going great."

* * *

Emma's Therapy Session:

"She's finally opening up to me."

* * *

Regina's Therapy Session:

"I feel like I can be honest with her."

* * *

Emma's Therapy Session:

"I mean, don't get me wrong, she still scares the crap out of me sometimes with all that darkness she's got bubbling beneath the surface."

* * *

Regina's Therapy Session:

"She's either incredibly brave or supremely stupid; I still haven't figured out which."

* * *

Emma's Therapy Session:

"This is the first time in a long time that I've felt this way and haven't wanted to just run away."

* * *

Regina's Therapy Session:

"I think I actually believe, for once, that I have something that won't be taken away."

* * *

Dr. Hopper looked over his notes and reveled at the striking similarities in each woman's statements. It certainly wasn't a perfect relationship, and it was so volatile that it could explode at any moment, but at least they were both on the same page. Over a month had passed since he'd first found out about the escalation of their physical contact and looked to be going well.

It even seemed like it could be healthy for both of them if one thing continued to happen: Regina had to keep her faith in Emma. If she started to doubt her things could get incredibly messy. And that would be catastrophic if Henry became involved.

Luckily it seemed as though they were both playing things safe on that count as well. They were keeping their relationship a secret until it was truly defined. This made Archie chuckle a bit. He wondered how long that would last given the abundant chemistry the two women displayed even before they'd changed the structure of their interactions. They'd only be able to hide that connection behind closed doors for so long.

* * *

"So, as far as the fourth quarter budget goes it looks like I'm coming in under last year's expenditures by..."

As Emma paced before the mayor's desk and droned on about accounting figures, Regina couldn't help but thank the gods for well crafted denim. Those dark blue hues that hugged the sheriff's every curve were distracting far past the point of any kind of modesty. The mayor had often wondered how the blonde was able to maneuver so well in her low-rider attire until she'd finally gotten her hands on the material and found it to be soft and pliable; something she'd like to reacquaint herself at that very moment.

"Perhaps we should talk about increasing your budget for the fourth quarter, Sheriff," she cut Emma off mid-sentence and moved around to draw nearer to the blonde. "I'd imagine it would allow room for new uniforms."

"Wait, what's wrong with the old ones?" Emma asked, stopping in her tracks to look at Regina.

"Nothing," the mayor answered as she hooked a finger through one of the belt loops that had been torturing her for the last five minutes, and pulled the woman flush against her, "except that you refuse to wear them. And though I'm a rather large fan of your current attire, I'm not sure I want everyone else in the town constantly taking stock of your... assets."

She then pulled her in for a deep and luxurious kiss as her hands roamed exactly where her eyes had surveyed seconds before. Emma hissed into the kiss and returned it with equal passion; pushing the mayor atop of the desk and settling between her thighs.

"But then you wouldn't be able to enjoy the view either," the blonde said, raking a hand through Regina's hair. "And maybe I like the way you look at me in my clothes."

"It's more your jeans," Regina's voice rasped as she clutched at the denim covered ass and pulled Emma closer to her center with a growl, "and your tops," her hands then made their way across a taught abdomen and perky breasts before settling on her shoulders and pushing her jacket off. "Your odd choice in the signature look of tiny motorcycle jackets, I could do without."

Emma chuckled and shrugged the jacket off and moved into kiss Regina's neck, her words sending shivers up the woman's spine, "Shut up, Madame Mayor."

Cradling the blonde head against her, Regina let out a deep chuckle of her own before she spoke, "Actually, I don't think you want me to do that, my dear. Do you think I haven't noticed the effect my voice has on you?" she moved her mouth closer to Emma's ear. "I've seen the way your jaw clenches when I start to purr from your touch; the way you shiver when I call out your name."

Emma moaned in agreement, wishing she weren't so obvious in her reactions and deciding to turn the tides.

"It's not like I can help noticing the fact that your lips are so vocal, Mayor Mills," she emphasized her point by tweaking a nipple and thrusting her hips; rewarded by a sharp gasp from the brunette. "Sometimes it feels like I have to put them to a different use just so I can get some peace and quiet."

Regina let out a hearty laugh at this remark and yanked the blonde head back as she replied, "Peace and quiet is hardly the terminology I'd use when describing your state of being when my mouth is on you."

As passionate as their private time tended to get, there were always instances when their eyes would lock and a tenderness would seep into the energy. So, when they came back together their movements were tempered with tenderness.

Their lips locked softly and Emma moved her hand to the mayor's core, feeling the warmth there.

"You feel so good, Regina," she whispered softly.

The brunette inhaled hard and caressed the sheriff's face softly, "You make me feel so alive, Emma."

The words served to both endear and arouse the sheriff more as her hand moved under Regina's skirt and pushed her underwear to the side, allowing her fingertips to meet warm, wet heat. The action elicited another moan from the wanton mayor.

But before they had a chance to take things further, a knock at the mayor's office door startled them both away from each other.

"Jesus! Are you expecting someone?" Emma asked, exasperated.

"No," Regina answered, agitated at whomever was on the other side of that door, "but I can assure you they're going to be sorry they didn't call to make an appointment."

The mayor moved from the top of the desk to sit in her seat, straightening her clothes and nodding at Emma to open the door. The sheriff nodded back and did as she bade, revealing a sharply dressed Mr. Gold on the other side.

"Sheriff Swan," he addressed her, "how nice to see that the different branches of our legal system can work so closely together."

"Mr. Gold," Emma sighed, "Won't you come in."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he paused before entering.

"Nothing that can't be continued later in the day," Regina said, more to the sheriff than the shopkeeper. "Though I would advise you make an appointment next time you decide to stop by my office. Had the sheriff and I been any deeper in our conversation I'd have been much more annoyed with the rudeness of your unannounced visit."

She looked to Emma who was trying to suppress the smirk on her face, "Ms. Swan, we will adjourn for now but rest assured I will finish going over _everything_ with you this evening."

"Guess I'll plan on working late," she moved to exit the office and the man stepped inside, "Goodbye, Mr. Gold."

As soon as the door closed behind the sheriff, Regina's nostrils flared. She was none too happy with the shopkeeper's interruption.

"Would you like to tell me what you're doing here?" she asked, shuffling papers on her desk to give herself something to do with her hands.

Gold noticed her fidgeting as well as the air of mischief that seemed to hang in the room. Regina was hiding something, and he was starting to develop a pretty good idea of what that something might be.

"Well, a funny thing happened as I was walking past your office building," he explained as he took a seat. "Marco was on a ladder, replacing the bulb in one of your light fixtures, when he nearly toppled off to the ground. Now, luckily I was there to catch him and help break his fall but that didn't help the shocked expression on his face. Seems he wondered if he'd fallen asleep on the ladder and experienced some odd dream about befriending a cricket. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Regina sighed audibly in frustration, "Rest assured Mr. Gold, I am on the case. I've had Sydney on Mary Margaret's tail for the past few weeks. She hasn't been seeing Mr. Nolan which means that the curse is being tampered with by a different happy couple. I've got my eyes and ears open in an attempt to figure out who they might be."

He sat forward, leaning into his cane, "Pardon the bluntness of my next statement dearie, but it's possible that, to find the culprit, you need only look in a mirror."

Her eyes narrowed at him in anger, "What exactly are you insinuating."

"Just that you obviously need a little freshening up given that your lipstick seems to be smudged and for once in your perfectly constructed life you have quite a few hairs out of place," he accused, his tone matching hers in venom.

Pulling a mirror from her desk, she took inventory of her appearance and realized that he was correct.

"What I do in the confines of my private office is none of your business," she fired back.

"Oh, but it is when it seems your overactive libido might be the exact thing that ends up breaking the curse," his statement was made through gritted teeth.

Finally the insinuation he was making dawned on the mayor. It would never have occurred to her in a million years that the time she spent with Emma was anywhere near the realm of true love.

"Are you saying that..." she couldn't even finish the sentence but Gold was just fine with waiting on her to complete the sentence. "But that's not possible, I'm not... Even if I was starting to... I've already lost my true love; Daniel died in another world."

"Well, it's not as if either of us are experts on the subject but something is obviously amiss," he stood to lean on her desk. "Now, either Daniel was not your true love or it's possible that we are allowed more than one true love in our lifetime, but given the evidence I've just happened upon I'd say you're well on your way to finding it again no matter what the circumstance. And though I'd love to congratulate you on this very special new way you've found to complicate your life, I'm a little more worried about everyone in Storybrooke figuring out exactly what's been going on for the last twenty-eight years."

Regina was so shocked at the possibility that she couldn't even defend herself. All she could do in her head at that very moment was connect the dots of every single instance she'd been with Emma to all of the odd occurrences in the town... And they were beginning to paint a very startling picture.

"But that means," she tried to make herself say it, but she couldn't; so Gold did it for her.

"It means that if you choose to be with her, then sooner or later she'll find out that it was you who ripped her away from her parents and destroyed her life. Which means-"

"I'll lose her anyway," Regina stated, her eyes starting to mist a bit at the absurdity of her karma.

"Along with all the benefits of the curse," he added. "Lucky for you, I already had suspicions about you and Ms. Swan. And since I've seen the great links you'll go to get what you want, I know that asking you to stop seeing her is probably out of the question. Am I right, your majesty?"

Her eyes burned into him with disdain, "You are skating on very thin ice, Gold, but let's assume that it is out of the question. What then?"

He breathed in an air of frustration, "Well, then luckily for both of us, I may have managed to smuggle a few items from our world into this one. One of them being a Possession Bottle."

Her eyes grew wide at the words and he continued in an effort to drive the point home.

"And, unless you've retained the magic required to rip the poor sheriff's heart out of her chest, then I'd say it's your only option."

Regina's eyes saddened as she took in the possibilities. Possession magic was ancient; allowing the owner to bottle up the very life-force of their victim. Emma's life would belong to Regina should she choose to go through with it but, just like in the Enchanted Forest, all magic comes with a price.

"She'd hate me for doing something so vile to her," she said aloud without meaning to.

"She'll hate you when she finds out about the vile things you've already done to her," Gold corrected. "At least this way you'll get to keep her around to do... well, whatever you two are doing together. And, since her life force wouldn't be her own, any feelings you have for each other can't fall under the pretense of true love; for that requires free will."

Regina was experiencing an anxiety that she hadn't felt since Snow had happened upon Daniel and herself. The very idea of looking into Emma's eyes after taking something so precious from her... It was breaking something inside of her that she didn't know she had.

"I don't know if I can do that," again, she stated aloud without intention.

"Oh, I think you can, dearie," Gold explained as he stood up straight, indicating that he soon would be departing, "because if you don't, I'll make sure she finds out about who you are before you even have the chance to ruin this for both of us. There's obviously a time limit on how your actions affect this town and we're getting down to the wire. I'll be kind and give you twenty-four hours to make the decision on your own. After that I'll be making it for you."

"You wretched little worm," she stood behind her desk. "How could you be so cruel?"

Even as the words escaped her throat she felt the absurdity explode in the air. It was a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. So much so, that he didn't even bother to respond with anything more than an amused chuckle and his back turned to exit.

"The bottle is at my shop," he called back without another glance in her direction. "I'll be waiting for you."

Her chest heaved as she dealt with the weight of the situation. For the first time in such a very long time, Regina was battling with herself to make the right choice; a portion of the art of war in which she was desperately out of practice.

* * *

Regina had been allowing Emma to pick up Henry from school for weeks now. It was one of the happiest parts of the sheriff's day. She was allowed to spend time with Henry, one on one; talking about whatever might have been on the boy's mind and bantering back and forth as they were prone to do. Usually the trip ended in an extension of dinner from the mayor, which the sheriff also looked forward to when she had the time.

Today was somewhat different though. Henry seemed downtrodden when he sat down in the police cruiser.

"Hey kid, why the long face?" Emma asked as she started the car.

"No reason," he shrugged.

Emma huffed at his solemn answer, "Right, very convincing. I've got like eight things I can torture you with just in the front seat of this car, don't make me use them to drag an honest answer out of you. Is it the kids at school?"

"No."

"Is it one of the teachers?"

"No."

"Do you have a girlfriend I don't know about?"

He looked at her as if she should know better, "My mom is one of the nosiest parents to ever have existed and you are the town sheriff. How could I possibly have a girlfriend without one of you knowing?"

"Fair enough," she agreed. "So, what's going on?"

He exhaled in frustration and looked down at the floorboard, "It's these dreams everyone is having."

She'd actually been waiting for Henry to bring this up for a while now given his level of interest in the stories from his book. The dreams played perfectly into his theory.

"What about them?"

"I just... I'm worried that they might mean that the curse will be breaking soon."

His answer shocked her quite possibly more than anything he'd ever told her including his initial explanation about the entire town being tied to storybook characters.

"What?" she spouted, confused. "I thought you wanted the curse to be broken. Then all of the people would get their happy endings."

"Not my mom," his tone grew even graver. "If everyone finds out that she's the Evil Queen they'll want her dead for sure."

Emma held her tongue for a few seconds as she tried to figure out how to delicately address this issue. Henry had no problem with the idea of the townspeople reacting to finding out about Regina before and now there was this shift. It most likely meant that Henry was becoming closer to Regina. Emma didn't want to say anything that might damage that progress.

"And you don't want anything bad to happen to your mom," she stated, waiting for him to agree.

"No, not anymore," she could tell that he was starting to bite back tears. "I didn't really think about what would happen to her before because all I really cared about was everyone else. But now, she's just been so good. She's been nicer to you, to me, to everyone I've seen her with. I don't know what changed in her but something did and now... Just promise me that if it happens; if the curse finally breaks, that you'll protect her."

"Aw, kid," she pulled the car over so that she could look him in the eye and give him her undivided attention. "Hey, look, we don't know what's going on with these dreams but they may be nothing. Plus, not everyone is having them. I'm not having them, you're not having them, and your mom's not having them. It could be a lot of things but I promise you," she said the next part only because she knew that keeping up the facade of the fairytale was essential to Henry's mental wellbeing, "if something does happen; if the curse does break, I will be there to protect your mom. Nobody is going to hurt her."

As the tears fell from his eyes and he lunged to hug her she made a mental note to talk to Dr. Hopper about the legitimacy of his claim that the illusion was helping Henry because right now it certainly didn't seem that way.

"I knew you would," he said into her collar. "You're the Savior. You're going to save everyone."

* * *

Dinner at the Mills residence was almost a macabre affair. Neither Henry nor Regina were lending anything more to the conversation than one word answers when Emma asked them questions, and even then they barely looked up from their plates.

"Well, this is certainly a rousing evening," the blonde commented on their behavior. She knew what was wrong with Henry, but she had no idea about what was eating Regina.

"Sorry," the boy said, "guess I'm just not feeling very well."

Regina immediately pulled herself from her dark thoughts and focused in on her son.

"Henry, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is it your stomach? Are you ill?"

"No..." he faltered, not wanting to tell her the truth of the matter. "I'm just kind of tired and not very hungry."

Regina looked to Emma, wondering if she knew something and the blonde looked at her knowingly before addressing the boy.

"Do you maybe want to go lie down and let us check on you later?" she asked, giving him an out.

"Yeah, I think that would probably be best, if it's ok with mom," he looked to Regina, who once again looked to the sheriff for confirmation. To which Emma replied with a nod.

"Of course it's ok, Henry," Regina tried to give him a soft smile. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"

It tugged at his heart to see her being so kind and caring. Why did she have to do this right as everything seemed as if it would fall apart?

"No," he said solemnly before getting up to give her a hug. "I just think I need some rest."

"Alright dear," she said as she squeezed him tighter.

And then he shocked her with his words as he pulled away, "I love you."

He hadn't said it to her in so long that she nearly forgot to return the sentiment. She scrambled to do so as he moved away, "I love you too, Henry."

He crossed the room and offered Emma a hug as well, whispering in her ear, "Please remember your promise."

"I will kid, don't worry," she whispered back. "Everything is going to be alright."

And as he pulled away he believed her just a bit more than he had before. As he made his way upstairs Emma stood to clear their plates.

"What's going on?" Regina stood as well, her voice full of worry. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Emma stated and then thought better of it. "At least, he's going to be fine. I think we need to talk to Dr. Hopper about his therapy."

"Why?" Regina asked, placing a hand on the blonde's bicep. "What's wrong with him?"

Emma gave the mayor a reassuring smile as she placed a hand over the one holding her arm.

"Why don't you go into the study and make us a drink while I clean these up. Then I'll tell you everything."

Regina nodded reluctantly and moved to do as Emma requested; unsure of how much more bad news she could possibly take.

* * *

When Emma entered the study, she closed and locked the door behind her to ensure that their conversation wouldn't be heard by the curious ears of a very crafty ten year old. A sizeable fire was roaring in the fireplace and Regina was staring into it ominously as the two glasses of cider on the coffee table remained untouched.

"That's a pretty nice fire you've got going there," Emma said as she moved in to grab both glasses. "You trying to romance me?"

"You took forever scrubbing the dishes," the mayor deadpanned. "I had to find some way to occupy myself."

Emma smirked, walking up closer to the woman and handing her the drink, "Come sit down with me and I'll tell you what's going on with Henry. Then maybe you'll fill me in on what's going on with you?"

"How do you know something's going on with me?" Regina asked, finally moving her eyes from the fire to Emma.

"Because as much as you'd probably like to dismiss this fact, Regina, I know you. And quiet isn't your normal state of being," she smiled softly hoping the levity hit the way she meant it.

She knew it did when she saw the sad smile slip over the mayors lips before they both retired to the couch; sitting on opposite ends but facing each other. Much like the first night they'd become physically intimate.

"Henry's been hearing about the dreams," Emma started the conversation. "And I probably don't have to tell you how much that's playing into his delusion about the book. He thinks that the curse may be breaking."

"But that doesn't explain his mood," Regina expressed. "He's wanted this curse broken since he found you; he's hoping for it. Why would he be sad now that he thinks it's breaking?"

Then she thought about his actions earlier that evening and her heart broke for the second time that day.

"Is it me?" she asked. "Is he afraid of me?"

Emma's face fell at the idea Regina thought so little of herself in Henry's eyes.

"No, Regina, no. He's not afraid _of _you; he's afraid _for_ you," the blonde answered reassuringly.

Confusion crossed the brunette's face, "Afraid for me? Why would he feel that way?"

"Well, you heard him earlier, he loves you," the blonde explained. "In his mind, if the curse breaks the town will come after you because you're supposed to be the Evil Queen. He doesn't want that to happen, Regina; especially now. You two have been getting closer lately and he doesn't want to lose that. He doesn't want to lose you."

Regina's brow furrowed as her eyes welled up with tears, "He told you that?"

As Emma's eyes grew sadder her mouth moved into a hopeful smile, "Yes, Regina. He told me that in the car on the way here. He asked me to protect you if something happened and the curse actually did break."

Regina's mouth gaped at the admission as she tried to pull herself together enough to form words, "What did you say?"

It was Emma's time to feel her heart ache, "I promised him I would."

"Did you mean it?" Regina asked, forgetting that this was all hypothetical to Emma and cursing herself inwardly for the slip. "I mean, you know, if it were real. If the curse, the Queen, the entire fairytale were real, would you protect me?"

Emma aloud herself a small chuckle at the idea, "How many of those drinks did you have before I made it in here, Madame Mayor?"

Regina huffed out a fake laugh and put her drink down on the coffee table before moving closer to the blonde, "Maybe I wanted to do a little Savior/Evil Queen role-playing."

Emma let out a genuine chuckle, "You telling me that Sheriff/Mayor is getting old for you already?"

"Hmm," the brunette moved in closer, "Actually, I somehow prefer Emma/Regina when it comes to down to what really gets me going."

She gave the blonde a passionate kiss on the lips before pulling away and resting her head on her shoulder.

"What do you think we should do?"

When the question escaped the mayor's lips, Emma felt herself falling more and more into a place that she didn't wish to leave. Regina wanted them to work together for Henry; and that very idea made her pull the woman close as if she were precious.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I think that when a belief makes someone happy it's a good thing to allow them to hold on to it. It's when it starts to make them sad that it becomes dangerous," she kissed the mayor's forehead. "This book has given him a lot of happiness but it's also made him do some really reckless things. I mean, he treated you terribly because of it for the longest time and then he made a pretty crazy decision to go across the state line to find his bounty hunter birth mom. Now it's actually causing him emotional pain. I think that maybe the good parts of the delusion have run their course and maybe Dr. Hopper should know that. What do you think?"

Regina thought for a moment and answered honestly, "Things haven't always been easy for me and Henry. It was almost reassuring when he found the book to think that that could all be chalked up to him thinking I was the Evil Queen. If that were taken away and he still felt such disdain for me then I might have to deal with the idea that he really does hate me for who I am and not who I might be in some fairy tale."

"Are you saying that now he believes you've redeemed yourself as the Evil Queen?" Emma asked.

"I think that may be exactly what's happened," she answered with more truth than Emma knew; and then she moved up to look into Emma's eyes and proceeded to reveal things that scared her more than anything. "If the stories were true then I would be responsible for some of the most heinous crimes known to man. You read the book; you know what the Evil Queen did. What's more is that I would be responsible for the fact that you grew up without your parents, in terrible system that ruined your childhood. If all of that turned out to be true, would you really save me from an angry mob that has every right to strike me dead? Even if I'm not the Evil Queen, Emma, I've been horrible to you ever since you stepped foot in this town. I doubt even Henry would blame you very long for leaving me to die."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Emma asked as she took in the brunette's features. "Have you been having the dreams and not telling me? Are you starting to question things like everyone else?"

"I... "Regina stumbled, not knowing how to reply. "Just please answer the question. I can't explain why I need to know the answer but the need is there all the same."

Emma shook her head in confusion but answered all the same, "The answer is yes. I would do everything in my power to save you."

"Because that's what good people do?" Regina recalled Emma's words from the time she'd saved her from the fire at the office.

"No, because that's what you do when you care about someone," Emma answered without hesitation. "If, somehow, you were the Evil Queen in a former life, you are not her now. You are one of the bravest, craziest, most beautiful people I've ever met. You're a helicopter parent, a ridiculously conservative dresser and you suck at frame jobs, but you are most definitely not evil. I know his because no matter what you've done to protect Henry, you've still done it for that purpose and the ends do justify the means to me in that book. You may have been wrong about a lot of things," this elicited a hubristic laugh from the brunette, "but your heart was in the right place because in the end you were thinking about your son."

"And what about you, Emma," she asked. "What about all the pain you've had to go through in your life. How could you forgive the cause of all that?"

"Regina can you imagine me growing up in some huge castle with servants and dresses and the obligation to marry some crusty old fart who can better my kingdom?" she asked incredulously. "The first part of my life may have been downright torture but the rest of it seems to be shaping up pretty well. At least I hope it is. Anyway, this is insane; fairytales aren't real."

It was right before the last sentence that she looked away and lost her confidence and looked away, only to have Regina pull her face back. All she could feel in that moment was the blonde's completely irrational blind faith in her. And right then she wondered if maybe it was enough. Maybe there was enough faith for even the dark and tortured queen to believe in something again. She knew Emma was trying to read the emotions that were passing across her face but she wasn't ready to express now the hope she was about to place within the strong hands of the Savior that was meant to destroy her.

She had no idea if what she was feeling at that moment was true love. If the beautiful words of that bumbling sheriff had finally managed to tip the scales and steer them into territory that would break the curse with on simple kiss but she somehow wasn't worried about it anymore. Something deep inside her told her than Emma wasn't lying about how she felt. So, with a staggering sense of bravery and reckless abandon, Regina allowed a shaky hand to caress Emma's soft yet strong cheek as she looked from the endearing green eyes to sweet red lips and moved in.

It felt like every other kiss they'd exchanged. Of course, that didn't actually mean anything because obviously their other exchanges had started the rumblings of an awakening throughout the entire town. Yet it felt like the next step in the very long process of repairing her battered heart.

Emma pulled her in as well, wrapping an arm around her back and holding her tight. As their lips claimed, caressed and anointed each other with understanding she tried to convey to Regina that she was there for her. The fact that the broken mayor had looked so shocked at the very idea that she'd protect her from a murderous mob tore at her heart. It made her recall so many careless statements about her being soulless and cruel. She cringed at the idea that she'd further perpetuated the woman's unending fear of the pain others could inflict upon her.

Regina noticed the change in Emma and pulled back briefly.

"What's wrong?"

The blonde head shook as the woman tried to figure out how to express herself without sounding ridiculous until she finally gave up.

"I'm sorry for so many things I've done, Regina," her brow furrowed as green eyes shown back with humble presence. "I've tried to push your buttons so many times only to condemn you when you'd bite back. I'm sorry if I've ever hurt you."

Regina looked back at her as if she couldn't comprehend what the woman was saying. How could Emma possibly think that she was the one who owed the apologies?

"You have got to be completely insane," she said with flabbergasted huff before moving back into the woman's lips and kissing the apology away. "I will never deserve the words you just said to me, for reasons you can't possibly understand, but I want you to know that I will treasure them forever. Now, shut up so I can show you my appreciation."

A deep throated giggle escaped the sheriff's throat as she allowed the mayor to do just that. Pulling her more onto the couch, Regina settled between the painted-on jeans that covered Emma's thighs and elicited a moan with her actions. She didn't care that they were on the couch, making out like a couple of teenagers. Regina was about to show the woman that she was special.

More special than the bumbling oaf she'd always treated her like. She'd basically called her a whore, an idiot, an immoral delinquent and a mother undeserving of the love of her son. And though Regina wasn't emotionally mature enough yet to verbally apologize for all of that and more, she expressed it with every kiss, touch and caress.

And her apologies were accepted with every moan, every back arch, and every shudder she evoked within the amazing creature below her. The state in which their coupling happened would have looked downright comical to any onlooker that might so happen upon it. One of Regina's hands worked diligently deep within the confines of Emma's unbuttoned jeans while the other was buried beneath a clingy tank top. Yet as absurd as it looked, emotionally it was the closest they'd felt to each other.

Emma came completely undone with Regina's name softly escaping her lips only to be swallowed by its owner. Then, when the tremors finally passed, the brunette collapsed upon her and they both held tight to each other.

When she'd finally caught her breath, Emma offered up a small quip to break the intensity, "I can safely say I never imagined in even my wildest dreams that I'd ever have that much fun on your couch."

Regina couldn't help the devilish chuckle reverberated from her chest and she kissed the hollow of the throat that lay beneath her.

"I don't think I ever imagined us doing a lot of the things we do together," she remarked, "but right now I'm imagining how much more mobility we might have in the expanse of my bed."

She stood slowly and took the sheriff's hand, leading them out of the office and up the stairs to make her musings a reality. She paused as they approached the room that belonged to Henry and motioned that Emma should go ahead into her bedroom while she checked on the boy.

She thought she might find him asleep, but he was wide awake when she peered in; his eyes moving to her as he noticed the intrusion.

"Can't sleep dear?" Regina asked sadly as she moved to sit next to him.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Everything is going to be ok, Henry," she said, even believing herself in that moment. "I promise."

"You don't know that, mom," he shook his head. "Things could get really bad around here if the curse breaks. And I..."

"What?" she asked, concerned.

"I think I may have even made it worse," he answered.

"How could you have possibly done that, Henry?"

"I... I don't want anything to happen to you," he said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I made Emma promise me that she'd protect you. But what if it isn't enough? Good doesn't always win, you know that. What if Emma tries to protect you and fails and then I lose you both. I didn't think about that before. I don't want to lose either of you."

"Oh darling," she pulled him into a hug and held him close. "That is not going to happen. You aren't going to lose either of us. Everything is going to be ok."

"You can't promise that," he argued into her shoulder and she felt his tears fall harder.

But it wasn't true. She could promise that. Her eyes took on a faraway look as she contemplated the offer Gold made her earlier that day. And though she thought before that everything would be ok, even if the curse broke, she hadn't considered the idea that Emma might not be safe. The sheriff was strong and brave to be sure, but she couldn't possibly defend against the entire town if their anger raged as much as they deserved.

Now, obviously the curse hadn't been broken with their prior engagement because if it had, there would be people with torches and pitchforks at her door by now. But it was only a matter of time. She knew her feelings for Emma were only growing stronger and soon they'd be powerful enough to break the curse. The idea that Emma might die trying to protect her was too much for her to bear.

"What if I could promise you that?" she asked him seriously.

He pulled back, noting her tone and looked at her as if she were finally letting him in on the secret. He kept his words ambiguous, afraid he might spook her otherwise.

"Can you?"

"Yes," she said definitively; knowing that they both understood each other. "I ensure Emma's safety. I can ensure all of our safety if that's what you want me to do."

"How?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that," she answered in a way that he knew there was no negotiating. "But I can do it."

He looked at her with concern, but finally conceded. If she could keep them both safe, then he was willing to accept whatever terms came with it.

"I want you to do it," he said, decidedly. "I want you both to be ok."

She pulled him back into another fierce hug and a darkness grew in her eyes as they once again drifted off into the space of her fear power, "Sleep now, dear. I've got everything under control."

**A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback and the follows. I hope you all are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing. I'm sure you can guess that 'Dark and difficult times lie ahead of us, Harry' but I promise they won't last forever. Stick with me on it and I promise you'll get your happy ending. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Archie was startled from the dream interpretation research he'd been conducting by a knock at his door. He was somewhat confused about whom it might be since his first appointment wasn't for another hour but he moved swiftly to answer it all the same. Standing on the other side was Emma Swan; who appeared to be somewhat anxious given the furrowed brow and the crossed arms.

"Emma, what can I help you with?" he asked, concerned.

"We need to talk," she expressed, stepping in without invitation.

"But your next appointment isn't for another week," he noted as he shut the door.

"I know," she replied, "this isn't about me. It's about Henry."

Dr. Hopper's face changed from confusion to concern at this statement, "What do you mean? Is Henry alright?"

"Physically he's fine, just missing a few hundred tears," Emma explained. "This whole dream thing that's going on with the town is really bothering him; like a lot. He's worried that it means the curse is breaking and that, if that happens, the entire town is going to be out for Regina's blood. He believes it so much that he made me vow to protect her if that ever happens. It's torturing him, Doc, and I really don't know what to do at this point besides talk to you about whether or not letting him surrender to this fantasy is still the best idea."

"I see," he nodded, thinking through what might be the best protocol for the situation. "The thing is, Emma, these dreams coincide extremely well with his psychosis. Honestly, the parallels are so endless that even I'm having issues trying to make sense of them outside the context of the fairytale."

"Whoa, Archie," she put up her hands as if to reign in a horse. "Please tell me you aren't starting to believe in it too?"

"No, no," he shook his head and paced. "Nothing like that, I just... there are sometimes these fleeting thoughts about reality and what it really means. You have to understand I'm afflicted by the dreams too. But I certainly don't believe that I used to be a talking cricket."

"Are we sure about that?" Emma looked at him sideways.

He sighed aloud at the insinuation, "Yes, of course. All I'm saying is that people are starting to question things. Things that adults should never question. Things that they know aren't real, but seem so given all of the coincidences. But these are adults with lives and mortgages and relationships. Imagine if you were a child. This only further serves to ingrain the truth of the fallacy into Henry's brain. This unarguable proof of his theory and to try and shake that up would only do one of two things: disrupt his sense of reality on a catastrophic level, or further ingrain him in his isolationism and belief."

"Or maybe he just has a bad day at the shrink, comes home and cries to his mom, gets taken out for ice cream and forgets about the whole thing after receiving a couple of very expensive video games that will help him play out other fantasies."

"Emma, it's not that simple," he said, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Then make it that simple!" she demanded and then realized her tone.

Breathing in calming air, the desperate "kinda-mom" tried to continue.

"Archie, it's hurting him now. I was reticent about it when he brought me to this place, I played into it and even liked it when I'd get to see the smile on the kid's face, but now... Now it's too much. He's scared to death that his mom is going to die. I can't just sit back and watch him feel that way if there's something I can do about it."

He simply stared at her, trying to calculate the harm it might do to unravel this very intricate web he'd allowed to exist for so long. But Emma didn't want to wait.

"Plus, things have changed," she explained as a last ditch effort. "Since Regina and I have been... doing better," she settled on, "he hasn't been so focused on bringing her down. He's actually just kind of been living in the now. He's been happy and that has everything to do with the outside, not the inside. The fantasy is what's causing him to regress and I want to you end it tomorrow during his session."

He shook his head, "I don't know if going cold turkey is the best solution to this problem, Ms. Swan. And frankly, even if I did, you don't have the authority to tell me to do so. Only Mayor Mills can do that."

Emma narrowed her eyes and smiled at him, "That shouldn't be a problem considering she's the one who sent me. Regina gave me the rundown about how you once threatened to testify against her in court should I try to take custody of Henry the last time she asked you to shut this thing down. You can call her right now and get the go ahead or you can take me at my word. Either way Dr. Hopper, this ends tomorrow."

Archie was taken aback by Emma's very demeanor as she made her demand and started to leave the room. There was something both familiar and off kilter about the way she was behaving.

"I hope you plan to keep your next session, Sheriff," his tone was worried and warning, causing her to stop in her tracks. "One of you is certainly starting to change but I'm not so sure it's Regina. Perhaps she's rubbing off on you more than you're rubbing off on her."

Emma took in his words and turned to swiftly approach him.

"You don't even understand that you're part of the problem, do you?" she pressed. "Everyone in this town demonizes Regina, even the one person who is absolutely supposed to uphold an objective opinion. How is she ever supposed to be able to trust, let alone love and respect others, if she can't even receive that from the person in charge of her mental well being?"

Before he had a chance to answer she simply shook her head and walked away saying, "You can cancel our next session, Dr. Hopper. I think I've finally figured things out."

He jumped as the door slammed behind her and stood there contemplating both her words and his own. Archie wondered if it was possible that his mind had been manipulated by all of these dreams... Especially the ones that featured an evil queen that looked so much like Regina.

* * *

"Yes dear, he did call and I told him I'm in complete agreement with you and defer to your judgement," Regina spoke earnestly into her cell phone. "Thank you so much for believing in me."

The last words she swallowed as if they were a lump in her throat the size of Wonderland.

"No," she added, "Sadly, I won't be able to make it to lunch. I've got an important business meeting, but I do hope to see you at dinner."

She smiled sadly at the reply.

"Of course you can stay the night, dear," was her reply. "I'd like nothing more. I'll see you later."

She ended the call and strolled into the shop as if she were about to make a purchase on a gently used guitar... but she wasn't.

"Gold!" she demanded before the bell on the door had even stopped ringing. "Where are you?"

"Right here, Your Majesty," he said casually, holding a box before him that he knew was about to change Emma Swan's world. "Shall we completely dismiss the pleasantries?"

Regina snarled at him, "You know damn well what I came for, now give it to me and hold your smart tongue."

"Bit demanding today, aren't we dearie?" he toyed with her. "Considering the position you're in, I'd be rethinking my tone about now."

She took in a deep breath and tried to even out her inflection.

"Given that you're the one who put me in this position, I would think you'd be more than happy to hand over the goods but, no matter. Can I please have the bottle?"

He pushed the box towards her but kept a tight grip on it as she went to pull it away.

"A word of warning for this gift's unlucky recipient," he said, his words full of foreboding. "There's a nasty new rule attached to this magic in the current world in which we live. Once the bottle is full, the shell that once held the life-force shouldn't dare go past the town line. If the sheriff tries to leave Storybrooke the enchantment will be broken. And a body without a life-force... Well that's just-"

"A corpse," the words fell from Regina's mouth as her eyes took on a dead stare.

"That's right," he nodded. "If you want Ms. Swan to live through this. You're going to have to keep her from trying to escape the Evil Queen."

Her eyes misted as they met his again.

"You bastard," she spat.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You really do love her don't you?"

"I don't see how that matters," she said, quickly wiping an escaped tear from her cheek.

He huffed through a smile and finally let the box go.

"It matters because now this amuses me far more than it did before," his cruel tones seeped directly under her skin as he finally released the box. "Regina Mills: murderer, manipulator, destroyer of an entire world is now about to ruin her own happy ending because she simply can't give up control. Couldn't have happened to a nicer girl."

The fire in her gaze could have rivaled the heat of the sun.

"If ever I find a way to bring the magic back I will break every single part of you," she snarled.

Gold's smile only grew, "I doubt that very seriously, Your Majesty. It's not often that the student outsmarts the teacher. But I do admire your spirit. You know where to find me should that ever happen?"

"Go to hell," she shook her head and made her exit.

"Oh no, dearie," he said to no one but himself, "I'm fairly certain that's where you're about to send yourself and Ms. Swan."

* * *

Once again, Emma sat through another silent dinner at the Mills' residence and tried to figure out what was going on with Regina. It was just the two of them because Henry decided to participate in some sort of lockdown orchestrated by the nuns. When the meal ended the blonde head shook as its owner thought desperately about what she could possibly do to fix the situation while she finished cleaning up. She knew it probably had something to do with all this dream nonsense that was going on throughout the town but she had no idea how to fight something that wasn't actually real. She decided to go for the normal pleasantries as she entered the study to find Regina pouring two tumblers of cider.

"Dinner was great, as usual," she offered a hopeful tone as she sat down on the couch. "Thanks for having me over."

A sad smile crossed luscious red lips, "I enjoy your company. I know it seems so strange to say that after everything that's happened in our past but I truly do."

Emma couldn't help the full-on grin that took over her features, "I like hanging out with you too. A lot."

"I hope you continue to enjoy it," Regina muttered, half to her companion and half to herself as she eyed the dark liquid in the bottle she'd procured from Gold.

The statement caused Emma's face to fall once more.

"Regina, please tell me what's going on with you," she begged. "I can't help you if I don't know what's going on inside your head."

Brown eyes misted over as she tried to find the right words for a reply, "I'm going to have to tell you something tonight that you're not going to like. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're going to hate me for it. But I have to do it all the same."

Emma swallowed hard and tried to imagine what it could possibly be. Maybe it wasn't about the dreams. Maybe it was about their complicated relationship or, even worse, Henry.

"Is it about Henry?" she asked, fear cutting through her voice. "Are you having second thoughts about how much I get to see him now?"

"No," Regina shook her head adamantly as she grasped the bottle and twisted off the top. "No, I promise you, I won't try to do that anymore. Henry loves you and I do believe now that you love him. I won't allow you two to be separated."

She poured the liquid into one of the glasses as a tear fell to join it.

Emma let out a sigh of relief as Regina moved to sit next to her, both drinks in her hands.

"Is it about us?" she asked, her face falling again. "Have you... have you decided that this isn't what you want? That I'm not what you want?"

The ache in her chest reminded Regina so much of what her life was like before her mother killed Danielle. Back when happiness did exist and was to be cherished and protected because it could so easily be taken away. What she was about to do to Emma was absolutely terrible, and here the woman was worried that she didn't want to see her anymore. The irony was breaking her heart.

"No," the dark locks shook as she held tight to the glass that would change both of their lives forever; not quite ready to give it up. "No, quite the opposite. I want you in my life very much."

Finally Emma smiled again, "Ok, then I'm gonna need to you to calm down because whatever this thing is we can figure it out together. Because I don't know if you've noticed but I'm kind of a big fan of being in your life. It's the first time in a long time that that's happened for me. I mean, you said it yourself; I used to run a lot. I didn't have any kind of anchor before but then I met Henry and I had a reason to stay. And after that you... well you spilled coffee on me and let me in. It feels good."

The words put Regina completely at war with herself. On the one hand she wanted to throw the drink across the room and bury her face in Emma's neck while she told her the truth about everything... but, on the other hand, she knew that the only way to truly protect Emma and ensure that they stay together was to hand the glass over. The insecure and afraid portion of her brain finally won out. The Savior of Storybrooke had just told her that she wanted them to be together. One way to ensure that was to go ahead with her plan. So, with a heavy hand and a guilty conscience, she handed the cursed drink over to the one person who actually might be her true love.

* * *

There's something that happens inside you when someone destroys your trust. When they do something so heinous that you can't even believe it's real at first. It's as if your very window to reality suffers a crack that will always be there as a reminder of the distortions you previously allowed yourself. A part of you breaks and is never fully repaired again. It's supposed to keep us from making the same mistakes twice. Like a burn from touching a hot stove.

But, for Emma Swan, all of that was much bigger when she realized that she couldn't trust Regina anymore. Because it wasn't just her reality that was broken; it was everyone's.

As the last few drops of liquid slipped past her teeth and down her throat a burning started deep within her chest. And it had nothing to do with the alcohol.

"Regina, something's wrong," she said as she grasped at her throat.

"I know dear, but it's going to be alright," she moved to help steady her, "I promise."

"No, my chest; it's tight," Emma rasped through jagged breaths. "I think I'm having a heart attack or something. Arrhghaa."

She screamed and fell to the floor on her hands and knees, when suddenly it felt as if her entire being was ripped from her body through her mouth. Her eyes strained to stay open as she witnessed a shimmering purple mist escape from her throat and funnel into a small bottle sitting on the coffee table. Falling to the floor after the violent episode had passed, she watched as Regina moved to stopper the bottle and then come back to her side.

"It's ok," she said, stroking Emma's face. "It's over now. Everything is going to be alright."

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she started to pull herself into a sitting position. "What's going on? What is that thing?"

Regina looked at her as tears ran down her face, "It's the only way that I can truly protect you."

She stroked the face framed so beautifully by flowing blonde curls as she continued, "And it's what I was afraid to tell you earlier."

"Then tell me now, Regina, what is in that bottle?" Emma demanded as she stood.

Regina stood as well; scared to death of what she was about to admit.

"It's your life-force, Emma," she said plainly. "Your mortality is now held within that bottle. While it's in there you are impervious to any life-ending harm as long as you stay within the confines of this town."

Emma looked at her as if she'd gone completely insane but the mayor did not falter.

"You can't be serious," she said as she moved closer to her. "Regina, I may have had a bad case of heartburn and a momentary acid flashback, but that is certainly not my life force trapped inside a glass vial! Please tell me that you don't actually believe that."

"I don't believe it, Emma, I know it," she looked down. "I know it because that's what I used it for. I did this on purpose so that we wouldn't break the curse and you wouldn't get hurt."

_Or leave me._ She added to herself in her own head.

Emma became intensely worried as she moved closer to the woman to try to calm her down.

"Oh my God, Regina please, you have to come back down to Earth with me. There is no curse. I know that there are a lot of weird things going on in the town right now but you can't start believing all of this stuff. It'll drive you crazy."

"I'm not crazy," the dark head shook sadly. "I'm trying to tell you the truth."

"And what happens if I smash that bottle, huh?" she asked, moving to do just that.

"Nothing will happen, Emma. The bottle is enchanted; it can only be opened by me."

"Oh, yeah," she grabbed it and put her fingers on the stopper. "Watch this."

But as she tried with all of her might to pull the top from the bottle, it simply would not budge. After a few seconds of failed attempts, she let loose a frustrated 'fuck it' and hurled the bottle toward the hardwood floor. It's only reply was a resounding thud of victory as it remained intact.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"I told you," Regina's voice was starting to take on a frustrated tone as she walked over to pick up the bottle and remove the stopper. "It can only be opened by me."

Once again, Emma's eyes grew wide as she tried to understand the situation she found herself in. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts.

"I must have loosened it for you," she theorized.

"Ugggh," the frustrated brown eyes were rolling now as she put the stopper back in the bottle, "Fine, try again."

She tossed the bottle to the disbelieving sheriff who, once again, tried desperately to open it and failed.

"I don't understand," the blonde head shook as she tried to fathom the secret of opening the bottle.

"That's because you're not listening to me," Regina came closer and snatched the bottle back. "Emma, this is real. All of it's real. The fairytales, the curse... Henry isn't crazy and I need you to believe me because there's a rule that comes with this bottle and you must abide by it"

Green eyes narrowed, "You really do believe this, don't you? You think that you're the Evil Queen and that you somehow trapped my life force in that bottle."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," she replied earnestly stepping closer to her. "I had no choice."

"Do you have any idea how screwed up this is, Regina?" Emma moved back. "I mean, even for you. Let's just say for a second, I can suspend disbelief enough to ride on this crazy train and believe that not only are fairytales real and you're Snow White's evil stepmother, it also means that you've basically betrayed me in one of the most psychotic ways imaginable."

"That's why I'm so sorry," Regina said emphatically.

"So, you would really do that to me? Take my life from me?"

"To protect you," Brown eyes begged for her belief.

"Oh Regina," tears formed in her eyes as she spoke. "You need to see Dr. Hopper and talk to him about this. And I need to get out of here because this has become far too insane for me to deal with right now."

As she turned to leave, Regina pulled her back by the arm.

"Emma, I know you don't believe me about this but you have to promise me that you will not leave town. If you cross the Storybrooke line the magic in this bottle will cease to exist and you'll die."

Emma's chest heaved as her anger grew, "You know what? That's exactly what I'm going to do and you're going to come with me. I'm going to prove to you that this is all a load of crap and then we are going to spend a little time apart so you can think about how trying to control others isn't the answer to all of your problems."

"Emma, no, you can't," Regina implored, scared beyond measure that Emma would actually try to leave and end up dead. "Please don't make me prove this to you."

"How the hell do you think you're going to prove this to me?" she asked, arms out.

Regina swallowed hard as she moved toward the fire and pulled the stopper from the bottle again; a single drop of liquid resting at its base.

"This drop represents one year of your life. If it's extinguished, that year will be lost forever," she explained sadly.

"Oh my God, fine," Emma said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

And before she could recognize what was happening, Regina watched as Emma grabbed her hand and flicked it toward the fire. The instant the drop touched the fire the sheriff fell to her knees and screamed in pain. Once again she grasped at her chest as fire shot through her entire body. It was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her entire life and if seemed to go on forever.

Finally, when it started to abate, she found herself cradled in Regina's arms; a litany of 'I'm sorrys' issuing forth. She tried with everything she had to explain this away but she couldn't. The only thing that made sense was that the woman holding her was truly an evil queen from a fairytale and she'd just taken her life away from her.

"It really is all true, isn't it?" She asked, her eyes caught in a far away gaze.

"Yes it is," was the solemn reply.

"And if I leave town I'll die?"

"Yes."

Emma broke away and stood to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you," she answered without looking back.

The words cut through Regina like a knife. She'd trusted Emma when she said she'd be there for her even if she was the Evil Queen and now there they were: the Savior and the villain completely at odds with each other. Just as Gold had wanted.

"How quickly we all return to what we know best," Regina spat as she stood. "I recall just last night you spouting off words of acceptance and loyalty. Now that everything is real and in your face, your reaction is to leave. How very predictable of you, Ms. Swan.

Emma stopped at the venomous tone and considered her next words.

"Oh believe me, I'm not leaving for good," she turned back and moved right into Regina's face. "I'm not leaving until I find a way to get whatever that purple stuff is back and when I do, I am going to do everything I can to not only break this curse, but to get my son as far away from you as possible."

"That's going to be rather difficult to do with your life literally in the palm of my hand," Regina fired back and found herself thrust against the wall with Emma's hands clutching tightly at her shirt

"Has this been your plan all along?" she asked. "All of it? All of the flirting, the dinners, the kindness; has been nothing more than bullshit tactics to get me right where you wanted me?"

Regina's anger began to dissipate somewhat at the implications. For some reason, even though it seemed that they were getting dangerously past the point of no return with each other, she didn't want Emma to believe that what transpired between them before was malicious.

"No," she answered back softly, "that was all real."

Tears born of anger, hatred and loss started to break free from the emerald eyes that bore back into her.

"Then why are you doing this? Why can't you just give me the bottle and let us work this out?"

"Because even if I hadn't changed in your eyes, you've changed in mine," Regina said defiantly; her anger returning. "You looked at me just as they all did in that different world. You chose to run instead of staying to fight. You lied to me too, Ms. Swan. You just didn't realize it until tonight. Now, back away from me. I won't be requiring your services tonight."

The implications that bubbled just below the surface of both her words and tone forced a shiver through Emma's body that frightened her to the core. She had known this woman as the vindictive Mayor Mills and she had experienced her as the passionate and audacious Regina, but right now Emma knew that she was looking into the eyes of the Evil Queen. Stepping back she wondered if she would ever see the other two faces again.

Then a wicked smile grew upon lips that had just recently caressed her own and Emma knew that those chances were very slim. She was the quintessential mouse being toyed with by the cat at this point; and that thought scared and angered her beyond words.

* * *

Archie awoke from the first dreamless sleep he'd experienced in weeks to the sound of someone banging on the door to his apartment. Jumping quickly out of bed he grabbed the robe that lay slumped over his reading chair and jogged to answer the door. To his immense surprise, he saw a distraught Sherriff Swan on the other side.

"Emma, what's wrong?" he asked.

"There's been a change of plans regarding Henry's therapy," she told him as tears ran down her face.

"It's ok," he said, beckoning her inside. "Why don't you come in and we'll talk about it."

"No, um... I can't, I need to get home," she wiped at her unruly tears. "Just please do whatever you think is best for him. And if you think that's keeping up this fairytale thing then do that."

"Emma, something is obviously very wrong with you right now. I think you need to talk to someone about it."

"I can't do that," she said, though she wished so desperately that she could. "Just please promise me you'll do everything you can to take care of Henry. Even if it gets scary with Regina. Even if you have to fight me on it. Please don't let anyone lead you astray from what's right with the kid."

She thought for a moment about who Archibald Hopper truly was and a small but real chuckle escaped her lips.

"Just let your conscience be your guide," she said with a somber smile. "Ok, Archie?"

His face showed the pain he felt for her, but he nodded all the same at her request, "You can count on me, Emma."

"Good," she nodded. "I need that right about now."

**A/N: Alright guys. I'm done with the other fic I was working on for a while so I should have more time to work on this one. I hope you like it so far.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm not going to lie, it's been difficult to write SwanQueen with everything that's going on right now. I won't address it here anymore than to ask that everyone please just be respectful and kind to one another. People on BOTH sides of this argument are better than the way they're behaving and it's going to destroy the fandom if allowed to run rampant. **

**Anyway, I did this for the reviewers. Specifically chelseakeeou. Because I don't want anyone to be sad right now.**

Chapter 7

"It's been a little over a week since I've actually spoken to her," Regina stated to Dr. Hopper as she tried to figure out a way to explain the parameters of her issues with Emma without giving away the particulars.

She'd refrained from communicating with the stubborn and angry sheriff with the exception of a taciturn text here and there regarding the details of seeing Henry. She'd told her that using the boy against her was no longer on the table and Regina wasn't about to go back on that promise, even though she longed to spark some kind of reaction that would lead to a meeting.

Her patience had started to wear thin. It wasn't as if she'd locked Emma away in some dungeon and tortured her. All she'd done was taken her life away and bottle it for safe keeping. What was so unforgiveable about that? Honestly, it hadn't changed anything about the logistics of their situation. There was simply a new component to their infinite power play: one that put Regina on top. And she was growing ever closer to utilizing it.

"What was the reason for your quarrel?" Archie asked. He'd been genuinely curious as to what transpired between the women since that night last week when Emma had shown up at his door looking utterly distraught.

"I'd rather not rehash the details with you, given your level of involvement with both Ms. Swan and my son, so for the sake of brevity let's just say I've backed her into a corner and she doesn't seem to enjoy it very much."

"Ok," the therapist scoured his mind to try to figure out what that really meant but nothing rang through. "Why did you back her into this corner? I thought things were going well for the two of you."

"They were," she answered matter-of-factly, all sentiment thrown to the wayside. "But that happiness was threatened and needed to be protected. I did what I had to do to ensure that, one way or another, Ms. Swan would not be taken away from me."

Archie's eyes grew wide, "Did you... did you blackmail Emma?"

Dark eyes took on a repulsed expression before they rolled in annoyance at his question. Blackmail was so pedestrian.

"No, I did not, Doctor," she answered. "And even if I did, do you think I'd go around telling people I'd blackmailed the sheriff of the town? I simply... hold the upper hand when it comes to her now and she obviously resents that."

"Regina, from what you are telling me it seems that the main thing you were trying to avoid was losing Ms. Swan, but in order to keep that from happening you... did something to her that has caused her to pull away from you anyway. Do you truly think that was the best course of action?"

"Of course I found it to be the best course of action!" she raised her voice. "Do you think I just go around making flippant decisions simply to amuse myself?"

"No, no," he put his hands up in defense. "It just seems that... well it seems as if you've lost her anyway, from what you're telling me."

"Only because I'm allowing her some time to get used to this new... arrangement," she scoffed. "She doesn't really have a choice in the matter."

He studied the woman as if she were one of those unbelievable cases in his college text books. Archie hadn't completely decided that Regina Mills was a sociopath, but she was certainly helping him build a case for it with her casual statement about hijacking someone's physical freedom.

"Regina, this isn't healthy," he explained. "You can't simply force people to do what you want. True love and affection can't exist without permission and acceptance. It can't be forcefully taken."

"I'm well aware of the rules regarding True Love, Doctor. I don't think I need to be reminded of them by someone who never seems to be in a relationship."

He shook his head at the slight she'd thrown. This was the Regina the town was used to seeing. Whatever positive progress she'd made during her brief honeymoon period with Emma had disappeared and the mayor had obviously regressed right back to where she'd started. He tried a different tactic.

"Did Ms. Swan seem hurt during your last meeting?" he asked.

The briefest flicker of emotion crossed her face as she thought back to tear-filled green eyes and a plea from downturned lips for them to try to fix things without the magic... but it disappeared as quickly as it manifested and Regina was back to business as usual.

"She seemed more befuddled and angry than anything but, yes, there was a modicum of pain reflected in her words and actions," she nodded.

"And how did that make you feel?" he asked.

"I'll admit that it did evoke a certain emotional discomfort at the time but I've gotten over it," she replied flatly. "Ms. Swan's reaction was overblown and unwarranted. Fretting about it doesn't interest me."

"Regina, I'm sorry, but you don't get to decide the validity of another person's feelings. That's one thing we're all entitled to whether others like it or not."

"Well, by that logic, I guess you don't get to tell me how to feel about hurting Ms. Swan then, do you?"

This was why Archie actually preferred working with children. They didn't employ logic nearly as much as adults did.

"Fair enough, Madam Mayor," he sighed in defeat. "What do you plan to do in regards to the sheriff now?"

"Well, I think a conversation is in order first," she crossed her arms as she thought. "Hopefully, she's had enough time to cool down and is open to listening to reason. Once she agrees that I've been right all along then we should be able to pick up where we left off. It might not be perfect but, in the end, I'll get what I want."

"And if she isn't receptive to you words?" he inquired.

She simply cocked her head at this statement and answered confidently, "As I just said, Doctor, in the end I'll get what I want."

* * *

Emma's phone rang and vibrated from within the confines of her back jean pocket and she rearranged the files in her hands so she could answer it as she walked towards the police station.

"Hello," she answered.

"Emma, it's Dr. Hopper," the soft voice expressed on the other end of the line.

"Oh, hey Doc," she greeted him as she put her key in the door and entered the station. "Is everything ok? Is something wrong with Henry?"

"No, no, everything is fine with Henry. I was actually calling because I'm worried about you," he explained. "You seemed very sad and worried the last time we spoke. I was hoping I could talk you into stopping by the office sometime this week. Free of charge. I'm asking as a friend who's worried about you."

His kindness and sincerity touched her and she allowed a sad smile to cross her face as she answered.

"I really appreciate that, Archie, but honestly there's not a whole lot you can do to help me right now. I'm kind of caught between a rock and a hard place and I've got to figure my own way out this time."

"You could still use someone to talk to about your situation," he pressed. "Sometimes it's just nice to talk to someone about your problems, even if they can't actually fix them... That's kind of why I have a job."

This evoked a genuine chuckle from her but still she shook her head, "I do appreciate it, Doc, but I don't think it's something I'm ready to talk about just yet. It's still kind of new."

"I understand," he said, respecting her reluctance. "If you do find yourself wanting someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to call. You know how to reach me."

"That I do. Thanks Archie."

"Goodbye, Emma."

She ended the call and placed the phone back in her pocket before setting her files on the desk and running her hands through her hair. Truth be told, she wanted to talk about what was going on more than anything but there was just no way to do it without sounding completely insane.

And who was she really supposed to turn to anyway?

Archie, a trained psychologist who could tell her exactly what kind of crazy she was?

Mary Margaret, her fairytale mother that abandoned her to this shitty world?

No, sadly this was her cross to bear at the moment. Regina had made sure of that.

The buzzing and ringing of her phone startled her from her thoughts and she swore at the intrusion before answering it.

"Jesus Christ, Doc, you've seriously got to get a life," she answered without even looking at the caller ID. "Go take Pongo for a walk or something."

"While I am somewhat fond of animals, Ms. Swan, I don't think stealing them for the purpose of 'getting a life' is well within my best interest," the velvety voice answered on the other end.

"Regina," Emma uttered, somewhat shocked. "I thought you were someone else."

"Yes, I caught onto that, dear. No need to state the obvious," she said smugly causing Emma to shake her head in annoyance.

"What do you want?" she snapped back.

"Is that anyway to speak to your vocational superior? Surely you have more sense than that, Sheriff."

"Excuse me," Emma started over. "What do you want, Your Majesty?"

It was a dig and they both knew it. A rush of anger passed through Regina, but she decided to let it abate for the time being. She needed to talk to Emma and that wasn't going to happen if she couldn't even get her in the same room with her.

"It seems someone has been tampering with my office safe," she lied. "I need you to come down and dust it for fingerprints so that the culprit can be found."

"Was anything stolen?" the Sheriff asked, buying the fib since she couldn't see Regina.

"No, but should anyone gain access to it they'd have confidential documents regarding many important members of the town... Including yourself," she answered. "And even if there was no specific threat to those documents, I am still the mayor of this town and you are still the sheriff. You will respect my authority or your will turn in your badge."

Emma kicked at the desk softly in frustration, "When do you want me to come by?"

"No time like the present," Regina answered. "As I understand it, Pongo is well within the possession of Dr. Hopper so there shouldn't be much taking up your time."

Emma nearly laughed out of reminiscence. Regina couldn't even invite her over without demeaning her profession to that of a dog catcher.

"Fine, I'm on my way," she said, hanging up the phone without so much as a goodbye.

Seeing Regina truly was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment but she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid her forever. And perhaps now was a good time to start figuring out exactly how she was going to get herself out of this mess; something she couldn't do without more information from the woman who'd gotten her into it in the first place.

* * *

A knock at the door pulled Regina from the files she was perusing. According to Emma's reports, there had been no complaints about odd dreams from anyone in town since the last time they'd seen each other. The thought was perplexing given the unarguable implication it presented but it changed nothing in the end. Regina would still end up with Emma somehow. It just might not be the way the Savior wanted it.

The mayor stood stopping briefly at the mirror to take in her appearance and, after an unneeded hair flip, finally made her way to the door. She wasn't expecting the effect Emma's physical appearance would have on her. The woman looked the same way she always did but, after a week of separation, it seemed as if she'd only grown more attractive to the predatory mayor.

"Sheriff, do come in," she commanded, moving back to allow her entrance.

Regina wasn't the only one experiencing sensory overload from their mere proximity. As much as Emma loathed the effect the other woman's presence had, she couldn't deny that simply being near her was always a monumental occasion. But she certainly wasn't going to act as such.

"Where's the safe?" she asked nonchalantly.

Though she was somewhat annoyed by Emma's lack of reaction, Regina still forced herself to keep things civil.

"Right this way," she said, leading the sheriff over to the safe. Regina had even left the door ajar for the purpose of authenticity.

"Any idea who might have wanted to get in here?" Emma asked as she knelt down and opened up her forensic kit.

"Not particularly," Regina stood close by, crossing her arms and allowing a ravishing view of her bare legs below the pencil skirt. "Though, I'm sure there are plenty of people in this town who wish to know my secrets."

"And then there are those of us who would give anything to not know them," Emma said at full volume as she started spreading the printing dust.

"Is that how we're going to start this conversation? With you stating your preference for ignorance?" Regina asked.

"I'm sure I don't know what conversation you're referring to, Madam Mayor. I'm just here to solve a crime."

"You know exactly the conversation I'm referring to and if I were you, Ms. Swan, I'd stop playing coy and start asking questions. We need to talk about this if we're to move on."

"Move on to what?" Emma asked, genuinely confused.

"The next stage of our relationship, of course," Regina stated as if she were reciting that two plus two equaled four.

This actually caused Emma to halt her labors and stand to address the mayor in utter disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," Regina answered, baffled as to why this concept was so difficult for Emma to comprehend. "I told you I did this so that we could be together. Did you think I was joking about that? Now, I've given you time enough to pout about the inconvenience of the knowledge you now have about who I am and what I've done but I'm beginning to grow impatient and I think it's time that you face facts. You need to get over this adolescent fit you're throwing."

Emma's eyes grew wide as she tried to fathom this woman's propensity for the understatement.

"Regina, you cursed an entire realm and then sucked the life out of me to keep it that way! I'm not throwing an adolescent fit; I'm reeling from your betrayal and trying to come to terms with the fact that fairytales are real."

"Oh please, do drop the dramatics, dear. People in your land believe in fairytales all the time, they simply call it religion," she moved closer to her. "And I did not betray you; I protected you in a manner of which you did not approve. One that worked, by the way. The dreams have stopped. It was us causing the spell to break and I made sure that didn't happen."

"What do you mean? How were we causing the spell to break?" Emma asked.

"The only magic that exists in both my world and yours is True Love," Regina explained. "True Love is the only thing strong enough to break any curse. Ergo, two of the citizens of this town were getting dangerously close to being in True Love. And if you hadn't reacted so poorly to my solution last night I would have explained that to you."

Emma didn't think it was possible for her to be any more shocked at her situation than she was one week ago, but somehow it had managed to happen.

"Are you saying that you and I are each other's True Love?" she asked incredulously.

"Have you had any reports of the dreams since you stormed out of my home last week?" Regina answered obviously.

"So, what, if we kissed right now the dreams would start back up?" the blonde asked.

"What? No!" Regina answered, getting frustrated. "I swear, it's like teaching math to a monkey. True Love can only exist in the presence of free will. When I took your life force, I gained indefinite power over you. You no longer have free will and, therefore, cannot break the curse."

Green eyes were still surveying her with incredulity.

"Do you even hear yourself when you speak?" Emma asked shaking her head angrily. "You just talked about my life, my chances at love and my free will as if they were numbers to be added together."

"I was just trying..." Regina growled in frustration. This was what it felt like for her and Emma to be normal again. "You need to understand everything. I was just trying to explain it all to you."

"Yes but what you just explained to me is that I now have absolutely nothing that is my own anymore," Emma moved closer in her rage.

Regina's body started to react to their proximity and her mind wandered back to something Dr. Hopper had said in her morning session.

"You still have your feelings," she started to close the distance more and looked down at Emma's lips. "Whether I like it or not, that's something I certainly can't control." she moved a hand up to Emma's chin and allowed a thumb to travel across the expanse of her lower lip. "And they're the same feelings you had every time I kissed you..."

Regina moved in closer.

"Touched you."

Closer still.

"Made you scream my name."

Just as their lips brushed Emma pulled away, feeling at war with her own body.

"Those feelings are obviously not healthy for me," she said, weakly.

Regina, noticing the shift like a panther about to pounce on wounded prey, moved in for the kill; backing Emma all the way up to the wall.

"Tell me you don't want me right now," she demanded, placing her hands on the wall to either side of Emma's head.

"What I want doesn't matter anymore," she argued, trying to stand her ground. "You made that very clear."

"That is not the case and you know it," brown eyes grew dark as she further coerced. "There is only one thing I would deny you right now and it certainly has nothing to do with what you feel when I'm close to you."

She moved in to slowly caress her lips up the expanse of Emma's neck until she'd reached a delectable earlobe just begging to be nibbled; and it was.

"The question is," Regina said, her breath hot against the sheriff's ear, "are you going to deny me what I want right now?"

"Is refusal even an option?" Emma asked as tears filled her eyes.

Regina's entire body froze in horror and regret from the implications of that question. Her mind flashed back to two very specific memories. One, involving herself and every single night she'd spent in 'servitude' to King Leopold, and the other involving Emma's face when she'd been particularly cruel to her the morning after they'd first made love:

_"In all seriousness, Miss Swan, I hardly think this is the worst morning you've experienced after a night of passion."_

_The words were out of her mouth before she'd even had the chance to truly think them through. They were cruel, even for Regina, and her face took on a brief but shocked expression as she took them in._

_Emma's face was shocked as well for a moment but the surprise rapidly turned to pain which she tried to mask with anger as soon as she realized it, but it was too late. Regina saw it. And she knew from those brief seconds that, with absolute certainty, this was not the worst morning Emma had experienced after a sexual encounter._

_The blonde tore her eyes away from the brown ones that had looked so kindly upon her mere hours ago and focused on the door._

_"Yeah, you're right about that, Madame Mayor."_

_There was something broken in her voice as she said the words and exited the house without a single look back._

_Regina had pushed too hard and she knew it. Emma grew up in the foster system because of Regina's actions; the many different scenarios that crossed the mayor's mind as to what her insinuation might have awakened caused an ache to swell within her heart._

She pulled back from both Emma and her haunting memories with misty eyes and a feeling of absolute self loathing.

"No," the word escaped her lips in no more than a sad whisper as brown eyes met green. "Emma, I would never... hurt you like that."

In that moment the sheriff remembered what it was like to be Emma and Regina, not the Savior and the Evil Queen. She saw, in the other woman's eyes, the same thing she'd seen when she insisted upon saving Henry from the mine... When Regina had apologized for her reaction the morning after their first time... When Regina looked at her in awe as she told her she'd protect her from an angry mob of fairytale characters.

Hesitantly, she raised a hand to her tormentors face and gently stroked her cheek.

"Regina, I know this is the real you," she begged with both her mouth and her eyes. "Please fight against all of your fear, all of your misgivings and give me back my life. If this really is supposed to be True Love then we will find each other, no matter what."

It was the term 'find each other' that broke the brief connection they had made. As soon as Regina heard it she thought only of Snow and her betrayal. And that brought her right back to the role of the Evil Queen.

"You'd do best not to advise on things you do not understand, Ms. Swan," she said as she moved away.

And just like that, the spell was broken. Emma looked at her with hurt and anger before turning the tides and pushing her against the wall.

"So, this is all you want from me then?" she asked as she moved her hand under the pencil skirt and roughly cupped Regina's silk covered sex.

Regina gasped in surprise as her arousal came back in full force.

"I wouldn't say it's _all_ I want from you, Sheriff, but it's certainly my most pressing need right now."

It was an angry coupling. Like the meeting of two gladiators fighting for their freedom, both women attacked each other with a needful fervor. Passion exists on many levels and every single one of them was present as Emma and Regina fought for dominance during this particular sexual act.

Scratches, bites and thrusts were utilized with the very restlessness that dwelled within each soul. Both parties had been the unfortunate recipients on horrific childhoods, with pain and anger that had festered into the makings of desperate souls. Each one yearning for the same thing: to be loved and wanted. Yet each one afraid of ever relinquishing enough to control to actually let it happen.

The Mayor's office looked like a tornado had run through it by the time they were done and the bodies of the two women were no less ravaged. Bruises, whelps and teeth marks adorned them before they were covered up by wrinkled clothing.

It was the first time they'd ever actually 'used' each other but it wouldn't be the last. Because beyond all of the exterior circumstances that surrounded the two women there was still an intrinsic need to come together. And, though they might claim otherwise, they both knew it.

No goodbyes were exchanged, no hopeful glances spared.

It was quite obvious to each of them now that they existed on opposing sides of a chessboard. And only one faction could win. Those were simply the rules.

Yet as each pawn retreated to its neutral station to reset the board, the players wept in their solitary anguish.

Because as much neither of them cared to observe it at the time, True Love is powerful.

* * *

Just before closing, Archibald Hopper was distracted from his notes by a knock at his door. He was both surprised and happy to see Emma Swan standing on the other side.

"Come in, Emma," he said to the exhausted sheriff with a welcoming smile as she moved to accept his invitation.

"Archie, I need your help," she confessed.

"I know," he nodded.

"It won't be for the reason you think once I tell you everything I need to say," she warned.

"I'll help you in whatever way you need me to, Emma," he assured her.

She nodded, believing him as much as she could at the moment before pulling a flask of scotch from her jacket and taking a pull.

"Regina actually is the Evil Queen from Henry's book of fairytales," she allowed the words to simply flow forth like a waterfall. "And I think I might be in love with her."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I took some liberties with the episode True North in this episode. 1. Because it worked for me and 2. Because the actual writers have obviously done so with the fairy tales so I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. Also, a big thanks to Panzerbelle and Chrmdpoet for giving me some excellent advice concerning my writing. I hope it shows through with this chapter. If it doesn't, just chalk it up to an old dog having problems learning new tricks. I'll catch on some day. :) **

**As always, thank you so much to those of you who take the time to review. It means the world to me.**

Chapter 8

Regina woke to the first few rays of dawn as they slipped through her east facing window. The sun illuminated not only her perfectly smooth, olive skin, but also the absence of a lighter shade that she wished to be entangled with. This had been a theme over the last week any time she requested the sheriff's company for the evening. They'd wait for Henry to fall asleep, sneak quietly up the stairs, make passionate... well, she guessed it couldn't really be called love, but something, and then Emma would dress quickly and leave as if she were disgusted with both herself and the entire situation.

The emptiness that assaulted Regina when morning came was overwhelming and for some reason she just couldn't seem to shake it. Much as she'd hoped to easily slip back into the skin of the Evil Queen, it was proving more and more difficult to keep up the charade. It wasn't just about sex for her and she ached to know if Emma felt the same way. She couldn't get those gorgeous green eyes to lock with her own when they were together in bed. Which made it all the more difficult to figure out what was going on in the beautiful blonde head.

Did Emma feel anything for her now? Did she have any clue that Regina was hurting too? If she did, would she care?

This had all gotten way out of hand. Especially internally. She was no longer able to substitute intimacy with sex the way she'd done before. She knew that if there was any kind of chance for her to access that level of intimacy with Emma, she would have to shed some of that armor and become vulnerable with the one person able to hurt her most at that moment.

She opted to remove herself from the the mockingly empty bed in hopes that a shower might clear her mind enough to figure out a way to soften her image in Emma's eyes. As she turned on the shower and disrobed she caught a glimpse of her bruised and scratched body in the mirror.

Dark eyes misted over as she took in the wreckage. Emma's body, no doubt, looked quite similar but probably a little less worse for wear. Regina didn't like this either; not specifically the acts themselves because, in the moment, each give and take only heightened the intensity both parties. But the lingering reminders that they produced only made the reality of her situation more magnified in the harsh light of day.

She stepped carefully into the shower and allowed the fiery streams to ignite her skin. She wished she could wash it all away. All of these feelings. They were what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. They were what threatened to break the curse.

Why couldn't she just go back to business as usual like she did with Graham? He hardly ever stayed the night after their encounters, and she generally preferred it that way. She didn't care if he felt anything for her or if he cared how she felt. Why did she have to feel this way now?

But even as the questions echoed in her mind over the soft sound of pelting water, she knew the answer.

She wasn't in love with Sheriff Graham.

* * *

"Ok, Doc," Emma stated from her slouched position on Archie's couch, "you've had a week to think about it, so lay it on me. What kind of crazy do you think I am?"

"Emma, as I told you before, I don't think you're crazy," he answered sincerely. "I'm just not sure what's causing your delusions. You've been so solidly ingrained in your doubt of Henry's world that it simply makes no sense for you to succumb to it now."

"Actually, I'm not talking about the fairytale stuff," she explained "I can't prove it yet but I know that's one huge ball of messed up reality. What I'm talking about is the fact that I think I may be in love with the Evil Queen. You're just going to have to treat me like you do Henry with the 'delusion' that surrounds my actual problems."

"But Emma, you do realize that what you're saying is wholly impossible, right? Fairytale characters, Evil Queens... these things just don't exist in the world," he argued.

"Not in our world," she countered, "but they did in another world, and they found their way to Storybrooke. Until I can prove that to you, you are going to have to operate on the premise that I am right, and treat me as such, because I have got to have a place to let all of this out Archie or I really am going to go crazy."

"Alright, alright," he put his hands up as if to calm her. "From here on out your Storybrooke is the same as Henry's Storybrooke. But I'm going to warn you, the rules of my office still apply. If any of this leads to the endangerment of yourself or others then I will do whatever I have to do to ensure safety."

"Calm down, Archie," she requested. "Regina and I may go for each other's throats a lot, but I'm not going to kill her."

"Hey, it's not as if that's such a ridiculous assumption to make," he countered. "Now, tell me a little bit more about how your feelings for Regina are affecting you."

She breathed out a sigh of frustration before she spoke, "Well that's sort of a problem in itself. One part of me hates her for what she's done to me, to the town, to herself even. She has done so many horrible things. Horrible things that have affected my life whether she meant for them to or not. But then... Then I remember how good she could make me feel when I got that brief glimpse into who she is without the magic and the desire for control. I see how much she loves Henry and how great she's raised him."

Her gaze drifted to the floor as she also considered the sadness that continued to creep into Regina's eyes every time they were in each other's presence: specifically whenever Emma would escape into the night after their time in bed together.

"I also feel bad about myself because I know I'm hurting her too," she finally revealed.

"How are you hurting her, Emma?"

"We haven't stopped sleeping together," she admitted. "And most of the time it's... intense... maybe even aggressive. Especially on my part. It's like the one place with her where I have any control. I can make her feel things on my terms. I can deny her what she wants... or give it to her… roughly."

She looked up at his eyes expecting to see shock or judgment lurking behind the frames of his glasses but she was only met with understanding, so she continued.

"The worst part is the end," She explained. "And it's the worst part because I know this hurts her and I do it on purpose. When we finish up, I always just grab my clothes and leave. She rarely ever says anything but when I manage to take a quick glance at her face there's always this kind of masked pain there. She won't admit it but I see it. And if I'm completely honest it hurts me too."

"Then why do you think you do it?" he asked.

She thought for a moment about how to express what she was feeling and green eyes started to mist over. A lonely teardrop fell quickly down her cheek right before she answered him.

"Because however much I may love and hate her, I feel the same way about myself. When I treat her that way it feels good but it also feels dirty. I want her to feel the same way. And because I love her, I hate myself for it. Because I love myself, I hate her for everything she's done… and that justifies my actions."

Archie felt terrible for them both, especially the woman before him who was absolutely torturing herself.

"Your physical interactions," he started, "are they something that she requires?"

"No," Emma shook her head, "she's specifically said that all I have to do is say 'no' and that's that."

"Well, then my suggestion is that you certainly stop being physically intimate with each other until it can be expressed in a much healthier way," he explained. "I know you think that you gain the upper hand in those instances, but it comes at a terrible cost to both of you."

Emma clenched her jaw. She had a feeling he was going to say that.

"So what? I just give up the one thing that allows me to have control?"

"No, you simply figure out another 'thing' you can have that still allows you that control."

"Like what?"

"You're the one who believes that we're all a bunch of fairytale characters that've lost our happy endings," he answered with a hopeful smile, "why don't you try to get them back."

She regarded him as if he were the one that should be seeking professional help.

"But you don't believe that," she accused. "Isn't that basically just sending me off on some wild goose chase that will lead nowhere?"

"You already told me that what I believe doesn't matter in this room," he explained. "I am advising you under those conditions. You're the Savior, Emma. Go out and save us."

Before she could answer she felt the familiar pulse of her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Taking it out she noticed that the call was coming from the station and put her finger up to signal to Archie that she had to take the call.

"Sheriff Swan," she answered.

Archie waited patiently, trying to eavesdrop but he didn't have to for long before Emma gave a reassuring "I'm on my way" to whomever was on the other end.

"Sorry Doc," she said as she stood to leave. "We're going to have to cut this session short. I've got some candy bars to save."

* * *

As Emma arrived at the pharmacy she saw Regina exiting with Henry.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned. "Henry wasn't mentioned by the dispatcher."

"It seems that those two hooligans inside tried to frame ou-" she corrected herself, "my son for stealing an array of different products from Mr. Clark. You and I both know that Henry doesn't steal, so I'd appreciate it if you'd take care of the thieving juveniles inside."

Emma rolled her eyes at the dramatic description and ignored Regina altogether to address Henry.

"You ok, kid? Is that what happened?" she asked.

"Why would I lie to you about this?" Regina argued, irritated by the blatant rebuff by the sheriff. "Do you want to believe that Henry steals?"

"No, but in case you forgot, Madam Mayor, I am the Sheriff and I need to get both sides of the story before I can just make an arrest, and you weren't present for the crime," she fired back.

Regina simply shook her head and instructed her son, "Go ahead, Henry. The sheriff is actually deciding to take her position seriously today."

Henry felt like laughing at their bickering but he kept it from showing on his face.

"That's basically what happened, Emma," he admitted. "The girl inside was distracting me so that her brother could slip a few things in my backpack without me noticing. I didn't know they'd done it until Mr. Clark stopped us at the door."

Emma smiled at him and fluffed his hair, "Thanks kid, I knew you'd tell truth. Maybe your mom will take you out to Granny's for a milkshake since you've had such a hard day."

A smile crossed his face as he looked up expectantly into dark eyes.

"I guess she will now," Regina narrowed her eyes at the sheriff in frustration. "Come on, Henry. Let's go load you up with sugar and fat."

"Thanks, Mom!" he took her hand as they made their way to the car. "Bye Emma!"

She waved back at him and smiled as she made her way into the pharmacy to assess the damage.

* * *

Regina was trying to play catch up at work since she'd taken a substantial part of the morning off to deal with Henry's altercation, making the unscheduled knock at the door a rather annoying distraction. She was surprised to find Emma stepping through once she'd given the order for her to come in.

"Sheriff," she acknowledged. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Are you here to talk me into allowing Henry a keg-party for his troubles today?"

"No, I'm sure the milkshake sufficed," she had to keep herself from smirking. "I'm here to talk to you about Ava and Nicholas."

"What about them?" Regina asked, finally looking up from her paperwork to give Emma her full attention.

"Seems they've lost their dad," she answered, moving closer to the desk. "I think you probably know where he is."

"Why would I know that?" Regina asked, forgetting how much knowledge the sheriff was privy to now.

"Are we really going to act like you don't know about everything that has happened in this town... and outside of it," Emma put her hands on her hips in frustration.

"Right," the dark head nodded. "You want to know more about who they were, rather than who they are now."

"You got it," Emma confirmed. "Now are you going to make this easy and tell me or am I going to have to keep them at my place until I've rifled through Henry's book long enough to find out where they belong?"

Brown eyes grew sad as she dragged them away from the green depths of the sheriff's. The last thing Regina wanted Emma to do was go through every single horrible thing she'd done according to Henry's book... especially where it concerned children. She'd already become a big enough monster in the woman's eyes. She didn't need to add fuel to the fire but she also didn't want to make it easy for her.

"When was the last time you had that death trap you call a car serviced, Sheriff?" she asked. "If you're going to be looking after two lost children with a sweet tooth I'd assume you're going to be making a lot of trips to the candy store."

Emma looked at her quizzically. Not because she didn't get what the mayor was inferring but because she didn't think that she'd actually be so forthcoming with the information.

"Don't look so confused, Ms. Swan," Regina continued, thinking she needed to explain further. "Surely I just left enough bread crumbs for you to follow."

"So, they are Hansel and Gretel," the blonde head nodded, "and the woodcutter works at the shop."

"I guess that's what you'll have to find out," the mayor offered, directing her attention back to her paperwork.

"Ok," Emma said as she left to leave. Then, just before she closed the door she looked back and said "Thank you, Regina."

* * *

The door closed just before tears started to flow freely down the mayor's face. She'd done so many terrible things in the past; even to the innocent. She'd separated Hansel and Gretel from their father, even though they'd done what she asked, simply because they'd rejected her offer of affection. Maybe, with the Savior's help, she could make things right for them now. It certainly didn't excuse her actions, and she knew that, but perhaps a small modicum of redemption was possible through the actions of the noble sheriff.

It wasn't easy but, after a lot of convincing on her part, Emma was able to get Michael to accept that he was the father of the orphaned children. As she watched the elated scene unfold she thought about how good it felt to be a part of it. And how she probably would never have figured it out if it weren't for Regina's help.

Maybe Dr. Hopper was right. Maybe she could find peace with Regina by bringing all the happy endings back. If she did that, surely the paranoid mayor wouldn't be so terrified about what would happen if the curse was broken and she'd give Emma her life back. She was starting to rethink her position on the applicable use of therapy altogether.

She was pulled from her reverie by the sound of her phone ringing. She noticed it was Regina before swiping to answer.

"Sheriff Swan," she offered, professionally.

"I trust you found what you were looking for, Sheriff?" Regina asked, hopefully.

"Yep," she answered. "Your breadcrumbs lead me right where I needed to be."

"Would you like to follow another trail back to my home for dinner tonight with Henry and me?" the mayor asked.

Emma paused for a second. She knew she shouldn't push her luck but she decided to anyway.

"Is that a demand or request?" she asked.

Regina took a deep breath as she answered, afraid of what might happen after.

"A request," she finally confirmed.

Emma felt her heart touched by something she thought impossible to be coming from Regina. It forced a smile across her face.

"I'll be there," she said.

"Fine," Regina said more nonchalantly than she was feeling. "Seven, as usual."

"Seven it is," Emma assured before hanging up the phone and walking to her car with more confidence than she'd had in quite a while.

* * *

Dinner was livelier than it had been since the change in Emma and Regina's relationship. There was a lightness to it that affected all three participants and it was refreshing to all. So refreshing, in fact, that it caused a confidence in Henry to ask a question that he'd been wanted to ask for quite some time now.

"Are you guys together?" he simply threw it out there, causing both women to choke on the contents within their mouths.

Emma was the first to recover enough to cough out a sentence.

"What…" she cleared her throat, "what makes you think that, Henry?"

"Oh come on," he rolled his eyes. "You guys have been nice to each other for over a month now. And, I hate to say it, but I know that you spend time together upstairs after I've gone to sleep. You aren't that quiet, and I'm ten, not stupid."

For some reason Regina was actually looking to Emma to handle this situation. In all her years raising Henry she hadn't developed a plan to explain the idea of her sleeping with his birth mother.

Emma was shocked at the silence on Regina's part and even more bewildered at the look in her eyes that seemed to say she was relying on Emma for an answer. The thoughts that raced through the blonde head were going in about 8,000 different directions. She certainly didn't want Henry knowing about the fact that she was sleeping with his mother but something she wanted even less was him thinking that they were just using each other in that way.

"Smart kid," she said, opening with a compliment to get on his good side. "How do you feel about all of that?"

"Well, I guess good," he said, surprising both women. "I mean, it makes you both nicer to each other."

Chocolate and emerald eyes locked from across the table as they shamefully took in his words. They'd been anything but nice to each other since the possession bottle was introduced to their interactions. At least Henry hadn't picked up on that. They looked back to him as he continued.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a little weird since..." he was about to allude to their fairytale rolls but caught himself at the last second. "Since you guys seemed to hate each other before but I'd really like it if you kept being nice to each other. And if you have to be a couple, or whatever, to do that then it's fine with me."

Silence continued to fill the space between the two women as Emma considered what to say. It was annoying Henry.

"So, are you?" he asked, allowing his impatience to shine through.

Finally Emma bit the bullet.

"Um..." she looked to Regina, trying to find the courage to answer him. "Yeah, kid, we are."

"We're sorry we kept it from you, Henry," Regina added, finally finding her voice. "We just didn't want to tell you before we knew things were... serious."

She chose the last word carefully. Things certainly were serious given that she'd sucked the life right out of Emma and kept it in a bottle that always stayed with her.

"Great," Henry offered. "Now that that's out of the way, we can talk more about what happened with Ava and Nicholas. And Emma won't have to wake me up by sneaking out in the middle of the night."

Both women's eyes widened at the implications but they tried to push their feelings down so they could get through the rest of dinner.

* * *

Preparing for bed that night was one of the most awkward moments the two women had faced with each other so far. It was completely possible that it was made more so by their pleasant interactions with each other, rather than the consistent bickering. As they both just stood there, staring at the bed, it was Emma who finally called up the courage to speak.

"Um, I didn't bring anything to sleep in," she said, deciding to address the logistics of the situation first.

"I know," Regina replied, understanding full well Emma never brought anything to sleep in because she never wanted to stay anymore. "I'll get you some pajamas."

Grateful for a task to complete, Regina moved over to the dresser and pulled out one of her softest sets of bed clothes for Emma and a sensible negligee for herself.

"Here you go," she offered, handing over the garments before moving to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

Emma was somewhat confused by basically everything that was happening at the moment. They'd certainly never done this before. Still, she decided to swiftly change out of her clothes and into the ones Regina had provided before the other woman came back in the room. It was odd that she'd chosen to go in there in the first place, they'd certainly seen each other naked enough by now not to be so shy but, for whatever reason, the action spoke plenty loud enough to be understood.

As she pulled down the covers to the perfectly made bed, she realized that this was also something new. On the few occasions she'd slept here, the bed had basically been destroyed way before they had a chance to properly turn it down. As she slipped beneath the soft, cool sheets, Regina re-entered the room.

The mayor walked over to the corner of the room to toss her clothes in the hamper and as she did Emma's eyes took in the angry bruises and scratch marks from their last physical encounter together. It elicited an ache within her heart. She hadn't had to see the after effects of their passion outside the lust-filled nights they'd been spending together.

Brown eyes caught green as Regina turned to make her way to the bed and the mayor could have sworn she noticed the sadness that existed behind them. But she brushed it off in her mind. She was getting to the point where she was scared to hope for anything with Emma, opting instead to let things play out as they might.

"I took the left side," Emma stated the obvious about her position in the bed. "Is that ok? It looked like all of your stuff was on the right side table."

"That's fine," Regina answered as she settled in and turned out the light.

A few minutes went by before Emma broke the silence again. She was going crazy inside with Regina acting so calm.

"Do you want to talk about what happened tonight with Henry?" she asked.

"I'm not sure what to say about it other than we probably should have been more careful before," Regina admitted. "But that's not exactly something we can change at this point. I do believe you made the right decision about telling him we were together. I can't imagine how damaging it would have been for him to know the truth about what's going on between us."

"What is going on between us?" Emma asked, genuinely unsure of the answer Regina would give.

"You know what's going on," the mayor answered before turning over on her side to face away from Emma. "I took your life away from you and you hate me for it."

"Things aren't that simple and _you _know that," Emma said as she turned her head to take in Regina's back; part of her wanting to move in and kiss every scratch that played across it. "We worked together today, Regina, in spite of all screwed up shit that's going on in the background. That has to mean something."

"It means that, once upon a time, I was wrong about something and you, the Savior, have changed things around here; changed things in me," she admitted. "You caught me on the right day and I gave you what you needed to save it. It still doesn't change the fact that all you want from me is that bottle, and I don't intend to give it to you. So, we're right back where we started: I took your life away from you and you hate me for it."

"So, that's it?" Emma asked, turning the rest of her body to follow the gaze of her head. "The only thing that really matters is that one circumstance of our situation, nothing else that revolves around it?"

"Such as?" Regina asked.

"Such as..." Emma swallowed hard and rolled her eyes at herself over the admission she was about to make. "Such as the fact that the bottle isn't the only thing I care about… that I still care about you. I may hate... what you did... what you continue to do but, amazingly enough, I still feel bad when I hurt you."

"Don't flatter yourself, dear," Regina's wall seemed to come up automatically, but they were weak. "You don't have the ability to hurt me."

"You're lying, Regina," Emma pushed back confidently. "I don't even need to see your face to call you out on that one."

Somehow the idea that Emma still cared for her made Regina even more depressed about the entire situation. It was almost comical the position she was in right now. All she'd wanted this morning was for the blonde to stay with her through the night, and now she'd do just about anything to be alone to deal with her feelings.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Just go to sleep," she instructed.

Emma obeyed simply because Regina sounded so sad and exhausted but her mind was racing at about a mile a minute. She had no idea how she was actually going fall asleep. But then, just as she'd resigned herself to trying to actually count sheep, she heard a sniffle come from the other side of the bed.

"Regina?" she called out, worried.

"What?" was the reply she received. There was both annoyance and tears present in the voice that betrayed its owner.

"Are you ok?" Emma propped up on her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered trying to control her voice.

"You don't sound fine," the blonde moved closer. "Are you crying?"

"No," she lied. "I'm tired and trying to sleep."

"It sounds like you're crying," the sheriff just wouldn't let up.

"Emma... please," Regina couldn't even believe the words that had just softly escaped her lips. She was actually begging for the woman to leave her alone at this point.

"Regina," she said as she moved swiftly to turn the brunette over and witness the evidence of all the pain she was enduring. It broke Emma's heart and shown through her green eyes.

"Oh God," Regina moaned in embarrassment as she pinched her brow and tried to collect herself. "Please do not look at me with pity right now. I really can't take that."

The blonde head shook as she took the hand that was working so hard on shielding the brown eyes and pulled it away, still holding on.

"It's not pity, Regina," she explained. "It's sorrow."

The brunette wouldn't have believed her if tears hadn't started to form around the green eyes looking into her own. It was time for her to shake her head.

"It doesn't matter. There's nothing we can do about this, Emma," she let the name slip from her lips for the second time that night. "We're still in the same place we were this morning. Only now we know that we're hurting each other. Even if we don't want that, it doesn't change anything. Neither of us is going to give in. The morning will come and I'll still have that bottle and you'll still hate me for it."

Green eyes blinked away the tears that would not relent in their attempt at escape.

"Then let it," she replied. "Let morning come with all of its anger and pain and complications. But forget about that tonight. Tonight let me hold you and apologize to you."

She knew it was probably one of the dumbest ideas she'd ever had in her life: all of the emotions they were sharing right now. And she knew she'd probably be angry with herself tomorrow for being so open tonight. But still, she moved a hand up to wipe away one of the brunette's tears and Regina allowed it.

Then, moving in slowly, she kissed away the drop running down the opposite side and whispered a soft, reverent "I'm sorry".

Taking in a ragged breath, Regina accepted the apology deep within her soul and moved her hands up to bury themselves in golden locks as she also accepted the actions that went with the words. She was rewarded with that one action she'd ached to experience for the past few weeks. Emma look right at her with something as close to love as either of them could manage, and then moved in to kiss her slowly and sweetly before pulling back to offer the gaze yet again. Regina's hand stroked her face softly and a sad smile forming on the blonde's lips.

Emma repeated those healing kisses across different expanses of Regina's body. She took her time with each one to lend more meaning to the action. And those lips passed over each and every mark she'd inflicted upon the woman in their moments of passion, she blessed the kiss with a genuinely honest "I'm sorry".

She was stopped as she made her way down to Regina's core. Right after removing her underwear, it was obvious where Emma was headed and though the brunette relished having the woman's skilled mouth on her, she needed something else right now.

"Can you..." she hesitated, but finally revealed her desire. "Can you please stay up here?"

Emma's brow furrowed in sadness once more. She wasn't sure how many times her heart could break in one night because she'd hurt someone she was supposed to hate. Nodding slowly she moved back up, positioning herself next to Regina; one arm propping her up and the other moving to stroke the vulnerable face next to hers.

"I'm right here," she promised, looking deeply into dark, sad eyes.

Regina swallowed the tears that threatened to spring forth again, and moved a hand up to mimic Emma's actions and caress her face before pulling her down to her lips.

As their kisses became more heated, Emma's hand wandered back down Regina's body and settled between her thighs. The sheriff gasped in surprise and ecstasy as the mayor's hand moved beneath her underwear to do the same. The entire time they worked each other up to orgasmic heights, they alternated between kissing sweetly and looking deeply into each other's eyes. When they finally fell over the edge, their gazes held and both women allowed themselves the tears of joy that escaped.

They stayed in that same position for a while; on their sides, facing each other and exchanging gentle kisses and understanding glances.

When it started to become obvious that sleep would overcome them, they settled into a more comfortable arrangement: with Emma on her back and Regina cradled at her side with her head on her chest. But before she could go to sleep, Regina had something to say.

"Emma, I'm sorry for telling you that all I wanted from you was sex that day in the office," she admitted. "It wasn't true. I guess you couldn't use your super power to see that in your haze of anger. I know it won't change anything once morning comes, but I need you to know that."

The blonde swallowed hard and kissed the dark head resting below her lips as she tried to figure out what to do with the information. When no response came to her, she simply let it drop and focused on what she wanted to say.

"I'll never use sex to work out my anger with you again, Regina," she promised. "Even if it's what you want. I won't treat you the way I've treated you the past week when we've been in the bedroom. For both your sake and mine."

They were silent for a few more moments and Emma had nearly dozed off when Regina's soft and timid voice beckoned her out of her haze.

"Emma, is there even a small part of you that wishes we could just stay like this and the morning would never come?"

The sad, honest answer took a while to wrench itself from quivering lips but, finally, a resounding "yes" surrounded them like a warm blanket that would be stolen away by the rays of a rising sun.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright, dearies, here's a short but early chapter. It's short because I have plans this weekend and still wanted to give you an update. It's also pretty much all fluff this time too, so that should help make up for length. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 9

Heavy lids struggled to lift as the rest of the body attached to them started to wake. A dark head tried to nuzzle into the softness of a pillow but was pleasantly surprised to note the smoothness of a strong chest. There were no duck feathers beneath her head this morning. Just a Swan.

They'd ended up that way, sporadically, for about a week.

_Regina had been so afraid of what would happen the morning after Henry suggested Emma stay the night. Never, in her very complicated life, had the prospect of daylight spawned so much dread within her gut. A big part of her had wanted to run straight to the bathroom and wait until Emma left so she wouldn't have to see the look of shame that would not doubt be covering her face._

_But she didn't._

_Regina stayed put. _

_She recalled the hurt she saw reflected back in green eyes their first 'morning after' when she'd showered and dressed before the sheriff woke. She didn't want to remind her of that at all. Even if it meant letting her own heart break a bit. _

_Imagine her surprise when Emma looked back at her the same way she had the night before; when she'd been so kind and... loving. _

"_Um... Good Morning," the blonde said hesitantly. "How long have you been awake?"_

"_Just a few minutes," Regina admitted somberly. "I didn't want to just get up and..."_

_She didn't know how to finish that sentence but Emma did._

"_I know," she answered, her thin lips smiling genuinely. "And that means something to me."_

_She put a hand up to softly stroke Regina's face. She thought they were supposed to go back to being cruel to each other but apparently neither one of them could force themselves to do so. Regina obviously couldn't. By staying in bed she'd risked the pain of rejection, just so Emma didn't have to feel it. What were they supposed to do now?_

"_What happens now?" Regina asked, mirroring the same question dwelling in Emma's mind._

_She didn't think she'd ever heard such timidity in the mayor's, normally powerful, voice. It created such a division between her feelings. On the one hand, she knew damn well that she still had every right to hate Regina for what she'd done. But on the other, it seemed impossible to do so when she was being so open and vulnerable. There was a chasm of confusion within her, and she was standing in the middle of it, on a tightrope, trying to figure out which way to go and how to possibly get across._

_Regina saw the distress on her face as the blonde tried desperately to figure out the answer to her question. She realized she loathed seeing Emma in such a predicament due to her own actions. So, she tried to put her at ease as much as she could._

_Raising a hand to her cheek and kissing her chastely, Regina pulled back and simply spoke the truth._

"_I have ruined your life more times over than I have for even some of my worst enemies," she explained. "The major difference being that you never did anything to deserve the wreckage that always seems to follow my selfishness. I can't hurt you anymore, Emma; not without feeling this inconsolable pain within myself. And, if it weren't for Henry, I'd give you back your life right now. But I can't risk his safety, or his love, should the curse break."_

_She paused, briefly to softly stroke her fingers across the well defined features of Emma's face. One she thought she'd be seeing much less of after she made her next statement._

"_I won't be requiring anything of you anymore," she said, biting back the tears that threatened to overflow. "I know it's not the same as giving everything back to you but your life is yours, and if it's what you want, I don't have to have any part in it."_

_Emma could almost feel the tightrope unraveling underneath her feet as she took in all that Regina was saying. As the last sentence fell through the air, so did she; grabbing swiftly to the one side of the rope that would swing her straight to the side of forgiveness. She just didn't know how to say it at that moment._

_Regina smiled as she pulled away. Partly for Emma, but partly for herself as well. For the first time in so very long, she was doing the right thing. And it actually felt good._

"_I do have to shower now," she said as she stood and put on a robe. "I'll understand if you aren't here when I finish. But... Emma... If you ever do want to be here, you are welcome."_

_Emma hadn't been there when she emerged from the shower. And Regina had resigned herself to accept that she probably wasn't coming back. She mourned the loss of her that entire day; only putting on a strong face for Henry at dinner that night. She was surprised to hear the doorbell ring just as they'd started to dig into their salad, and even more shocked when the door opened to reveal Emma Swan, standing there with a bottle of wine and a cheeky grin._

"_Sorry to just drop by unannounced but you kind of gave me an open invitation this morning," she explained._

_Regina simply stood there, lip quivering almost imperceptively, as she tried desperately to hold back the tears of joy building in her eyes._

"_I would have been here earlier too," Emma said as she moved closer, "but they didn't have that wine you like so much at the market, so I had to stop by Granny's and see if she had some stashed away."_

_Regina finally forced herself to speak as she took the bottle being offered, "That was very kind of you."_

"_No, it wasn't," Emma disagreed as she brought both hands up to cradle Regina's face. "It was very stupid of me. It was stupid because you have my life in a bottle somewhere in your house and I still can't stop thinking about holding you, and kissing you, and figuring out ways to make you look at me the like you just did when you opened that door."_

"_I'm sorry, Emma," Regina started to speak but was cut off._

"_I know you are," Emma laughed out. "I can tell when people are lying and I know that you're not lying about that. It's another reason I can't stop being so stupid."_

_She tilted the dark head up to force chocolate eyes to meet her own._

"_I am going to fix all of the happy endings you took away," she said commandingly. "And once I do, we're going to revisit this whole bottle situation because as far as I can tell, most people are actually a lot better off in this world than they were back in Fairy Tale Land. They just need to be reunited with the people they love. They'll be way easier to deal with once they're all in love and too busy with their own lives to want to ruin yours. And I'll be here to protect you and Henry if they do."_

_Green eyes moved to look at beautifully full lips._

"_So, you're just going to have to accept all of that," Emma continued as she brought her own lips closer to Regina's. "Because I want my happy ending too. And somehow, I think mine is intertwined with yours."_

_The distance between their mouths was closed swiftly after the last words were spoken. If Regina were going to try and protest before, she couldn't after experience the tenderness and promise held within that kiss. _

_As they parted, neither woman could help the genuine smiles that played across their faces. _

"_Now, are you going to ask me in to dinner or am I going to spend some time with this bottle on your porch?" Emma asked._

_Regina took her hand and lead her inside._

"_Let me fix you a plate."_

_It was the happiest she'd ever been serving someone else._

Regina chuckled as she'd thought about how incredibly wonderful she'd felt since that surprise visit. And Emma, true to her word, had been working diligently to facilitate more and more happy endings. She'd already brought Leroy and Astrid together. Well kind of. As much as a drunk could be with a nun. And she was working on Kathryn and Jim after receiving a special request from Regina.

She'd been a busy Savior and Regina knew that her dedication was only partially reserved for the good of others. It was also strengthened by her resolve to truly give their relationship a chance. The very idea of that was so overwhelming that Regina found herself nuzzling closer into a pale neck and kissing it reverently. She hadn't even realized that she'd moved but Emma did.

The blonde head rolled as the rest of her started to stir from Regina's ministrations; parts much further south coming fully to life.

"Mmm, good morning," she greeted with a smile before her green eyes had even opened.

A smile also started to play across Regina's lips as she realized what she was doing and the effect it was having on the body below her.

"Good morning, dear," she replied, moving in closer and resting a thigh between Emma's.

A sharp intake of breath indicated that her move had coaxed the blonde into a full state of coherence.

"Did you sleep well?" Regina asked as her kisses on the soft neck deepened.

"Ah," Emma moaned into the kisses before answering. "I did... but I must say I'm certainly glad I was disturbed if it meant waking up to this."

A low rumble of a chuckle emanated from deep within the brunette's throat as ground her thigh into the wet warmth below her. "Whatever are do you mean, Sheriff?"

"Ha," a sarcastic bark issued from the prone woman's lips. "You know damn well what I meant, Madam Mayor."

Regina smiled wide and kissed her way up to Emma's ear, sucking the lobe gently before huskily speaking again.

"Were you referring to the way my mouth feels on you?" she asked, nipping at the ear. "Or perhaps you meant the experience of my body against yours," she said, writhing harder against her.

"Ughhh," Emma groaned, wrapping her arms around the seductive woman moving atop her.

"I didn't quite make that out, Emma," the brunette teased. "Use your words- ah!"

The blonde smiled as she turned the tables and stole the other woman's words away by raising her thigh up to meet Regina's heat. She used her hands to guide willing hips in a dance that was taking them both up higher.

"You were saying, Regina," she challenged.

The mayor answered by kissing her hard and passionately as their bodies continued pleasing each other. After a few minutes she decided to take back control and moved her lips further south to wrap around a straining nipple. Once her teeth were brought into play, and she raked them gently across the sensitive skin, Emma's hands moved up to her dark hair and clutched deliciously.

Upping the ante even more, Regina snaked a confident hand between their bodies and moaned as it discovered a wealth of wet warmth. She played across every inch of Emma and teased her until her moans started to turn into desperate whimpers. A devilish grin imposed itself upon full lips that trekked back up to worship the shell of Emma's ear before speaking.

"Do you have any idea how much it turns me on to feel you so wet against me?" she asked, her fingers working diligently at a bundle of nerves.

Somehow Emma managed to take enough control of her body enough to move her own hand to Regina's center, causing a surprised cry to erupt from the woman above her.

"Mmm, I do now," she whispered seductively into the brunette's ear as she stroked at the desire she'd created.

It was short lived though. Regina's free hand shot down and pulled Emma's wandering one up above her head.

Emma pulled back, confused, to look into dark eyes. Registering the confusion, Regina interlocked their fingers together as she moved back down to the blonde's lips.

"Later, I promise," she pleaded pulling back just a bit. "Right now, please just let me have you."

Emma relaxed into the movements and squeezed the hand holding her down.

"You've got me," she whispered.

Regina's heart clenched as she let words wash over her; intensifying her need to get closer to the blonde. She poised her fingers just outside Emma's opening.

"I want-" Regina started to speak but her words were cut off.

"Me too," Emma granted her permission not only with her words, but with a free hand that moved guide Regina inside.

They both moaned loudly at both the physical and emotional sensations running through their bodies. Regina moved her lips back to Emma's and kissed her as she started to move within her.

An orchestra of different pleasurable sounds filled the room as they moved against each other. Any outsider would have had a hard time comprehending how two women, who'd done so much to hurt each other, could create such a state of grace in their coupling. But it wasn't for others to judge the Queen and the Savior's decision to come together like this. They tended to the wounds of their heartache with every touch, kiss and caress. The world around them be damned.

As their movements became more heated, Regina could tell that the blonde was close. So, she moved in to hold her tight and husk once more in her ear.

"Come for me, Emma," she begged. "Please, come for me."

And Emma obeyed.

It was that word, which Regina employed so often these days, that sent her over the edge. The preface 'please' seemed to have become second nature to the dark mayor. And as much as she heard it these days, it never wavered in its effect; for it touched Emma deeply.

As the blonde crested out of, and then floated back down into reality, Regina was there to comfort her trembling body with dedicated kisses and caresses.

When she was finally able to take back control of her body she opened her eyes to seek out Regina's.

"No one has ever..." she searched for the right words and found them, but settled on some a little less emotional, "touched me the way you do."

Regina brow furrowed, but she smiled in understanding.

"I know the feeling," she beamed before leaning down for one final, sweet kiss and moving out of, and off of, the blonde to rest a head on her chest.

They laid there for a few more minutes, simply basking in the afterglow, before finally deciding it was time to get up and address the day.

"I was going to make breakfast," Regina stated. "You're more than welcome to stay and have some with me and Henry, if you like."

Emma smiled brightly as she finished putting her boots on, "I would, but I've got a stop to make before I go into the station. Can I take a raincheck?"

"Absolutely," Regina nodded, moving over to place one last kiss on the blonde's lips. "Have a good day at work, Sheriff."

Emma kissed her back, "You too, Madam Mayor. I'll see you tonight."

And as she left, Regina moved toward the window. Willingly inviting in the glow of a sun that no longer threatened to hurt her.

* * *

Emma entered the mental ward of the Storybrooke hospital and approached the counter. The staff member smiled welcomingly at the Sheriff and greeted her.

"Good morning, Sheriff," she stood from her seat. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping that maybe you can help me solve this case I've been working on," Emma stated. "I think there may be a Jane Doe in the hospital that has someone looking for her on the outside. She'd probably have blue eyes, dark hair, pale complexion... I'd imagine she's fairly beautiful but quirky..." She trailed off, the last part somewhat difficult to admit aloud, but still she pressed on. "It's possible she would have been admitted by Mayor Mills."

The staff member looked at her surprisingly.

"Actually, we've got someone here that fits that description perfectly," she walked away to remove a file from the cabinet and brought it over to the sheriff. "She's a troubled girl but, as you said, very beautiful. So much so, that the hospital staff has taken to calling her Belle."

As Emma's eyes glanced over the kind looking features of the imprisoned woman, she had a feeling she was on the right track.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So sorry for the wait between updates, guys. I had a lot of work travel and birthday celebrations. Apparently telling people you don't want to celebrate turning 30 makes them want to celebrate with you even more. Anyway, I'm pretty tired from my travels so this may not be the greatest chapter as far as editing goes but I did want to get it out because you all have been so awesome with the reviews. I hope you like it. As always, please keep the comments coming. They absolutely serve as my muse.**

Chapter 10

Working every day with so many different relics from a land-long-gone often perplexed Mr. Gold. He was surrounded by so much power, yet he could use almost none of it. So he waited, patiently, for the day that magic would finally come back to Storybrooke. And during this wait he remained the stalwart caretaker of each magical item. One of them which he treasured above all others.

As his hands glossed over the chipped cup, for what he imagined to be the millionth time, his attention was drawn elsewhere upon hearing the ring of the entrance door. He hastily stowed it away and moved to greet his new arrival.

"Sheriff Swan," he said with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Looking for an antique rocking chair to rest your bones after those hard days on the beat?"

"No," she answered with a smirk, hands on hips. "No, I actually was thinking that maybe there was something I could offer you."

"Offer me?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "After the many different quarrels we have I'm wondering if I should be worried about such an action."

She huffed out a quick laugh, "You don't need to worry about this interaction. I'm trying to help someone out and I think the best way to do that is to help you out in the process."

"Well, I'm certainly intrigued," he admitted, crossing his arms. "What might this be about, then?"

"There's a girl standing outside your shop, looking in the window," Emma relayed. "I'd like for you to take a look at her and see if maybe you know her."

He regarded her curiously, not sure what she could possibly be up to.

"Alright, let's see, shall we?"

As he moved closer to the window his breath caught and his body refused to obey his will. Stopping dead in his tracks he beheld the angelic features of a woman he thought he'd lost long ago.

"Belle," her name came out as a reverent whisper across his lips as the idea of her existence in this land washed over him.

Emma had an entire speech prepared. She really did. Some big, imposing, threatening speech about how if he so much as looked at that girl the wrong way, then he'd be in for a world of hurt from the town sheriff.

But he didn't look at her the wrong way.

She'd expected lecherous, predatory and maybe even domineering overtones to paint his features but she saw none of that. Gold looked at Belle with a sense of unabashed relief, adoration and love. His eyes misted and his mouth quivered, almost imperceptibly, as he tried to deal with the thousand of emotions racing through his body.

"Belle," he said yet again as if now, his understanding of the entirety of the English language rested upon the majesty of that one word.

It even made Emma feel the need to help him out.

"She was being kept within the Storybrooke psychiatric facility for memory loss," she explained delicately; a tone she never thought she'd be using on Gold. "No one has come to claim her in years and, as the main law enforcement authority in Storybrooke, I was able to pull some strings and get her out temporarily. I thought that, maybe, you might be able to jog her memory."

It was the last sentence that finally pulled him from the state of shock he didn't even know he'd retreated into.

"What? Why would you think that?" he asked, incredulously. "You know something, don't you? What happened to her? Was she hurt? Is she ok?"

She put her hands up to calm him.

"Look aside from the memory loss and living in a hospital room for a very long time, she's fine," she explained. "The question is, do you know her and can you help her?"

"No, Sheriff," he corrected her, gently. "I think you already knew the answer to that before you brought her here, otherwise you wouldn't have. You think that I won't hurt her and, with our past, for you to think that you'd have to know something about my past with that woman."

She looked at him, trying to figure out the ramifications of telling the truth and finally just went with her gut.

"I know something," she admitted.

It was then that, without his permission, the first tear fell from his eyes. He had been responsible for so much pain enacted upon Emma Swan. Pain she did know about, pain she didn't know about; even pain that Regina was unaware of. Yet, here she was, being that incredibly righteous and obnoxious hero that had always annoyed him.

He had forced an incredibly traumatic roadblock between Emma and her True Love, and she was delivering his to his doorstep.

"Bring her in," he said, trying to stop his voice from cracking.

Emma nodded and moved to do just that. As she guided the brunette toward him she gauged her reaction carefully. When Belle's eyes met Gold's there was definitely something going on behind them. The sheriff couldn't be sure if it was recognition or intrigue but it was more than just simple interest.

"Belle, this is Mr. Gold," Emma introduced. "I think he may have known you before you were assigned to the hospital. Do you remember him at all?"

She didn't answer right away but she also couldn't take her eyes off his. Eyes that were softer than Emma had ever seen them.

"Hello Belle," he offered softly with a nod; afraid that if he extended his hand to touch her that she might break.

As she took in his words her eyes quirked and the amnesiac finally spoke.

"There is definitely something about his face that seems incredibly familiar," she explained, shaking his hand and then letting it go. "But his voice… I don't know it's almost like it doesn't exactly fit. As if it's softer and deeper than it should be."

Gold smiled at her excellent memory and decided to see if he could jog it some more.

"Well, I can't imagine why, dearie," he said as he would have when he was the Dark One: with a bow and a giggle. He didn't even care if the sheriff saw.

Immediately Belle's features opened up and her body reared back as familiar sensations flowed through her.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes! That's exactly it! I do know you, don't I?"

He took his former, more humble, position and simply nodded as he allowed her delight to wash over him.

"You…" Belle tried to figure out the right words and finally spit them out. "You were very important to me, weren't you?"

Gold bit back an ocean of tears that threatened to overflow as he contemplated his answer.

"I very much would like to believe so," he said. "I do know for sure that you mean a great deal to me."

Her chest heaved with an emotion that was far too familiar for just having met this man. His words had touched her and endeared him to her right away.

"This is going to sound a little odd but do you like cups? Like tea cups, I mean?" she asked. "I keep thinking about them right now for some reason. And I can't even remember the last time I held one."

A genuine smile broke out across his face as he turned to answer her question without words. Emma watched, somewhat slack-jawed, as she tried to process the idea of Rumpelstiltskin and Belle being meant for each other. It certainly seemed like that's what was happening.

Gold came from behind the counter with a piece of cloth draped over something small enough to fit in his hand. When he was once again in front of the brunette, he withdrew the cloth and offered her the chipped cup that had held within it, his love for her for so long.

Her mouth fell agape as she took the item in her hand and ran her fingers over its beautiful imperfection. Tears started to form in her eyes and she had no idea why they were threatening to burst forth.

"Why does this mean so much to me?" she asked.

"It's a long story dear," he admitted truthfully.

"I'd like to hear it," she insisted and then looked at Emma. "Sheriff, do you think it would be ok if perhaps I spent a little time with Mr. Gold?"

"Are you absolutely sure you feel safe with him?" Emma asked. She was pretty convinced, but it was always a good idea to double check.

"I do," she nodded confidently. "I honestly don't get the impression that he'd ever hurt me."

Emma looked from Belle to Gold to find him nodding as well and answered the girl.

"Ok, then," she agreed. "I'll give you two some time together, but I need to talk to Mr. Gold privately before I leave, if you don't mind."

"There's a room just behind the counter," he offered and pointed the way for Belle. "I'll bet if you look hard enough you'll find some tea and a kettle to go nicely with that cup."

She smiled at him and said "thank you" before moving to busy herself in his back room.

A pained expression overtook his face as he addressed the sheriff in private.

"I don't think all the gold in the world suffice as payment for you bringing her back to me," he stated plainly. "I thought I'd lost her a long time ago."

"Do you love her?" Emma asked without preamble.

He'd never said it aloud to Belle so he certainly wasn't going to speak the words to Emma, but he did confirm her suspicions with a nod of his head.

"Then be good to her," Emma smiled softly. "It seems like you may be able to help get her memories back and that's the only thing that is definitely going to keep her out of the hospital. I worked some magic with the hospital director, given that I'm basically the end of the line as far as law enforcement is concerned around here, but she can't stay out forever if she doesn't get better."

"Speaking of magic," he stated. "If you know what I think you do, I'm amazed that you're helping me at all. I wasn't the most valiant of characters once upon a time."

She wondered about his metaphorical delivery for a bit but then noticed the grim look on his face and thought it was possible that even The Dark One might feel remorse for his past misdeeds.

"That's all in the past as far as I'm concerned," she answered. "It was in a different world. You're in mine now and all I care about is what you do here. And…"

She moved in close, her eyes stark with fiery protectiveness.

"All of the feuds stop here, especially whatever one you have against Regina," she emphasized the last point. "None of us know what's going to happen around here but if you try to hurt her I will find a way to end you. Do you understand?"

"I'd look more to the mayor for trouble on that score, dearie," he warned. "She's not going to be happy about what you've done here today."

"I'll deal with it," she stepped back to a more neutral position. "She's not the same person anymore, you know? Just like you aren't."

"I hope you're right about that, Ms. Swan," he added, humbly. "I believe if it were possible for anyone to change her, it would be you."

"All due respect, Mr. Gold," she challenged. "If anyone changed Regina it was you and her mother. If I've done anything it's help her remember who she truly is."

"Fair point," he agreed.

"Take care of Belle," she said as she started to leave. "I'll be back to check on her tomorrow."

"I won't fail at that this time," he said to the closing door. "I promise."

* * *

Dinner at Granny's that night would have been nearly perfect if it weren't for the imposition of Sydney Glass at the meal's end. Both Regina and Emma were in good spirits, as was Henry. It even seemed as though the other citizens of Storybrooke were basking in the glow of the happy moods that were permeating the town due to Emma's fairytale hero work. Even Leroy wished them a good evening before offering his arm to Astrid and escorting her home.

But having to witness everyone else in town be so cheerful while he was downright miserable, caused a burning anger to build within Sydney that he tried, unsuccessfully, to battle with liquor. By the time he finally decided it was a good idea to head home he was well into the bottle and seething over the laughter that resonated so easily from the table that featured the mayor and her 'white knight' sheriff.

What made it even worse was the fact that they were leaving just as he was. The very idea of having to share pleasantries with what was so obviously another happy couple made his blood run hot and a pit gather within his stomach. Deciding it best to try to avoid that situation he tried to simply slip past them but Regina turned swiftly after grabbing her coat off the rack and he bumped right into her, causing her to fall to the floor and suffer a few scratches to her knee.

As if by muscle memory alone, his body rushed to her side to help her up as pathetic apologies dripped effortlessly from his lips. He hated himself for it. But more than anything he hated her for it. Which is possibly why, when the sheriff jokingly told him that "he might wish to take it easy on the sauce" his response was less than agreeable.

"And you might want to take it easy on that moral high horse," he rebutted. "This is a family establishment. Those engaging in more alternative lifestyles might find themselves better suited to The Rabbit Hole."

Both Emma and Regina looked at him wide eyed as they took in the accusation he was throwing around so casually.

"Excuse me?" the sheriff bristled.

He shook his head briefly as he went back inside his own thoughts. This wasn't who he was. He'd never been homophobic. The only thing that ever scared him was losing his value to Regina. And that had less to do with the type of relationship that was so obviously going on between the two women and more to do with the fact that it threw in his face the inevitable truth that Regina would never love him.

"You'll have to forgive me, Sheriff," he apologized. "I didn't mean that. Best of luck to you. You're certainly going to need it with her."

Green eyes darted to the subject of Sydney's words and immediately settled the pained look that imprinted itself upon Regina's face. Emma had half expected the brunette to throw a punch or at least launch into some sort of verbal assault but she didn't. She stood there and took it.

Emma, however, could not.

"Actually, you can keep your luck," she fired back and put a gentle, reassuring hand at the small of Regina's back. "I've obviously got enough of my own."

He let out a chuckle that was louder than he had intended, "You keep telling yourself that, Sheriff. As much as both of us might like to believe that woman is capable of actual love, deep down we both have that little voice in our head that knows better. It's the same one that warned you about that whole Santa Clause thing being a little farfetched. You may wish to ignore its cries now, but sooner or later you're going realize that reindeer don't fly."

Emma moved to step between them.

"Or maybe they just don't stop by the houses of bad little boys," she said before moving in closer so only he could hear. "You want to go toe-to-toe with me; we can do that all night. But you're going to stop it with her, Sydney. I know she's done horrible things. She's done them to both of us. But she is trying to turn over a new leaf and if you crush even the smallest amount of progress she's made, I will run you right out of town. Do you understand?"

He took in her words and looked at the anxious and distraught mayor. She certainly didn't seem like the vicious dragon he'd once loved and hated her as. There was definitely a certain softness about her now. One that he actually didn't wish to crush if only for the sad, sad fact that he did still love her.

"My apologies," he said sincerely to both of them and Henry. "I think it's best I get home before my mouth gets me into even more trouble. I hope you all have a good night."

But as he turned to leave the siren song of the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard called out his name and stopped him in his tracks.

"Sydney," Regina stated to his back. "I'm sorry… for everything."

The last part referred to more than even he could understand about the betrayals for which she'd been responsible. But she said it anyway, even if only for herself.

He didn't turn around, it would have been too hard not to relish that moment in the depths of her chocolate gaze. Instead he simply looked to the side and nodded his head in acceptance before finally exiting the diner.

"Geez," Henry's joking voice interrupted the pregnant pause. "You guys didn't cause this much drama in Granny's back when you are fighting. Let's go before anyone else decides to pick a fight.

* * *

After putting Henry to bed, Emma's first order of business was to take care of the ugly scratches that were taking up residence on Regina's left knee. So, after escorting her to the bathroom and ordering her to sit on the side of the tub, the sheriff grabbed the first aid kit and started to clean the wound under protest from her patient.

"Seriously, you're being completely ridiculous," Regina argued. "It's just a few minor scratches and well within reach of my own two hands. I don't need you taking care of me, Sheriff."

Sighing at the formal term, Emma shook her head and pulled out some peroxide. "Madam Mayor, I'm well aware of your competency in taking care of yourself but right now I'm going to need you to do me a favor," she leaned into the other woman's face, asserting dominance, "and shut up. Because I'm the Savior. This is the kind of stuff I like to do. I do not, however, enjoy doing it under protest."

Regina obeyed for a few minutes as she wrapped her thoughts around Emma's words. She would never have thought that the woman, who suffered so much at her hands, was capable of finding pleasure in taking care of what should have been her greatest enemy. Yet there she was. Green eyes focused diligently on cleaning her wound and easing her pain.

"I'm fairly certain this isn't a part of the Savior's duties," Regina finally stated.

"Sure it is," Emma countered. "Saving people doesn't just involve sword fights, you know."

"I meant saving me," Regina pointed out. "The way all of this is supposed to work is the Savior saves the town by destroying the Evil Queen; not defending her honor and then bending on knee to serve her."

Emma looked back up at her, "Well, I don't see the Evil Queen anywhere around here. In fact, I haven't seen her in quite a while. Honestly, Regina, I know that she's always under the surface, struggling hard against you to come out, but you _are_ fighting that battle… for all of us. And I truly believe you're going to win. I may be the Savior of the town, but you're the one who is destined to conquer your foe."

The blonde finished up the bandaging and then leaned in to kiss the tender spot.

"You're ready to go back into battle now," she joked before standing and offering a hand to Regina; who was deep in thought.

She smiled softly at her white knight, "Would you give me a moment alone? I'll be out in just a bit."

"Of course," Emma nodded, knowing this had more to do with what was going on in the mayor's head, rather than her body. She left the room and gave her the time she needed.

Opening the cabinet, Regina removed the ornate bottle that held within it Emma's life-force. She stared down at it and felt it's weight and warmth. No matter how cold the atmosphere, it always maintained the fire that lived within Emma's soul. A fire that Regina wanted never to see extinguished. But she also wanted something else. She wanted them both to be free.

As long as Emma's essence remained in this bottle, Regina would never know if all of these actions were truly of the Savior's own free will. And that simply wasn't good enough anymore. She'd learned so much in the brief time she'd spent with the Sheriff but two of the most important things she'd learned were how to be brave and how to be selfless.

She may not be as good at either as Emma was but, right now, she got the feeling that she needed to try.

What had happened tonight in that diner was one of the most touching moments of her life: someone had stood up for her.

It recalled all of those moments when her father was silent against her mother. When Snow was silent against her father. When an entire kingdom was silent about their support.

Emma's voice rang through and somehow started to speak for all of it. The Savior would always be brave for her because it's the one area where she never faltered. Even when it hurt, even when Regina was the one doing the hurting… Emma was there when she was in danger.

Now it was time for Regina to be brave.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped opened the door to the bathroom and stepped through to face her fears.

* * *

Belle's laughter had always been one of the most wonderful sounds he'd ever experienced. Even when fully enveloped by the power of the Dark One, Mr. Gold recalled the warmth that it instilled within even the blackest depths of his heart.

It was also a sound he was sure he'd never hear again. So, once he realized that he was able to enact it, he made it a point to try to do so as often as possible. It made him feel good… different even. He wasn't sitting in his empty house just counting his money and dreaming up ways to torture those who'd wronged him in a former life. He was smiling, his eyes were twinkling and body was relaxed with the weight of his anger somehow unloaded by the wonder of her presence.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that I liked you very much when we knew each other," she said before sipping her tea on the side of the couch opposite him.

"I think it was very possible that you did," he wagered.

"Did you like me?" she asked playfully, already knowing the answer.

"Very much so," he answered without falter.

"Were we in love?" she asked, her face sobering somewhat.

His own features mimicked hers, "I think we were getting very close to being so. But someone got in the way of all of that right before we had the chance to find out."

"Did this person have anything to do with how I ended up in the hospital?" she asked, keeping up with his cryptic speech patterns in order to at least get some of the answers she sensed he wasn't ready to relinquish.

"Yes, I believe so," he nodded his head.

He contemplated not only his anger toward Regina but also his anger toward himself. He knew full well that he was the one that sent the Evil Queen down the path she took to ruin Belle's life. So, though he wasn't the one who through her in the asylum, he also wasn't innocent of the actions that took her there either.

"Was it the woman who brought me back to you?" she asked.

His features shifted immediately from internal struggle to full on self loathing.

"No," he shook his head. "Sheriff Swan is one of the most innately good people I've ever met. I'm sad to say that I've wronged her far more than she'll ever know and yet still she's managed to give me one of the one of the greatest things I could ever hope for: another chance to see you."

She studied his tortured features and sat her tea down on the coffee table before moving in closer and placing a hand on his shoulders.

"Then maybe there's something that you can give her in return for her kindness," she encouraged.

When he looked at her she startled a bit at the feelings that came forth when their eyes met. Her instinct was to look away due to the intensity, but the part of her that craved it won out over her fear.

"I should probably think of a way to thank her as well," she said, offering a hint to him regarding her feelings at that moment.

He studied her features lovingly, bringing a hand up to softly push an errant hair from her face and then allowing his fingers to linger amongst the softness of her cheek for the first time in decades.

"I'm going to find a way to repay her for us both," he assured her.

And, slowly, driven by a force that neither of them knew very well at all, their lips came together and sent familiar ripples across the sleepy town.

* * *

"Hey, whatcha got there?" Emma smiled before her eyes landed on the contents of Regina's hands and fell a bit once she recognized the bottle. "Oh."

Regina recognized the sadness and fear immediately, and moved closer to put Emma at ease.

"It's alright, Emma. You don't have to worry. I'm not going to hurt you anymore."

Looking down at the bottle, she slowly and carefully removed the stopper before bringing brown eyes back up to meet green.

"There are so many things I want from you," she started to carefully lay open the secrets of her heart. "So many things that I hope you're willing to give me. Things that I think you have been trying to give me all along but I was too afraid to accept because I couldn't bare the idea that you might take them away."

Emma's breath started to hitch as she dared to hope that the mayor was about to finally give both of them a chance at a happy ending.

"I realize now that no matter how much I want to control every situation, I can't control the one that could actually make me happy again. Only you can do that," she acknowledged as she carefully handed the open bottle over to Emma's strong hands. "The next time you look at me with kind eyes, I want to know that you're doing so because you choose to. And even if that's the only kindness you ever show me again, at least I'll know that it's real. That the beautiful, caring and courageous heart that beats in your chest has room in it to comfort even the darkest of souls. That if you were to ever to stand up for me again, like you did tonight, you'd be doing it because you have the audacity to believe that I am worth of it. Whether it's true or not."

She stepped even closer and placed a hand over the very organ she was referring to as a tear slipped from her eyes.

"And even if you can't. Even if you walk out of here tonight and ask to never see my face again. I hope that there is some part of you that knows that this act symbolizes the depth of my sorrow for all of the pain I've caused you in the past. Your light shines so bright that it was even able to conquer some of the darkness in me. And that light never deserved to be stifled by my wicked schemes. All you have to do is drink and you're free to take your light wherever you wish."

Emma regarded her solemn features and felt her heart break beneath Regina's hand. How could those brown eyes possibly be so blind as to not see that the only place she wanted to be was right where she was: in the mayor's house, with the patchwork family that they'd somehow managed to create, destroy and repair.

She looked down at the bottle and contemplated her next move. Then, with a steady and sure hand she moved to take the stopper from Regina and replace it over the container's spout.

A shocked expression overtook Regina's features as she realized exactly what Emma was doing.

"I don't understand," the brunette head shook as she voiced her confusion.

"You just gave me my freedom, Regina," Emma said confidently. "I don't need to drink from this bottle to have that anymore. Now, I'm going to give you something to free you from your fear."

She placed the bottle back into the mayor's hands and held her own around them.

"I trust you," she said, smiling through tears, "literally with my life. Once _we_ have managed to help everyone find their happy endings I'll drink the contents of that bottle. But until then I want to keep working towards giving everyone in this town what they want. That way, when they get their memories back, they'll see that you've changed. That you helped them all to find their happiness. But until then, I'm just going to need you to keep this safe."

She squeezed both of their hands around the bottle.

"Because if I were to drink that right now," she explained, "the next thing I'd want to do is kiss you. And I think that if we do that, the curse really would break. So, keep it safe for a while and trust in me. I'm here because I want to be."

Regina tried hard to keep the tears from flowing down to spill over the smile that was on her face but it was a wasted effort. It didn't matter though because Emma pulled her into a comforting embrace before she was able to fully survey the amount of emotion escaping the brown eyes.

Regina hugged her back fiercely as she buried her face into Emma's neck. With a soft chuckle she spoke again.

"I guess I'll be able to keep my promise to Henry after all."

"What promise is that?" Emma asked.

"Before I finally made the decision to use magic on you," she started to explain sadly. "I promised Henry that I would find a way to protect us both if the curse were to break. The possession bottle was the only way I knew how to make good on that promise. It didn't occur to me to simply ask you for help."

Emma pulled back and looked into brown eyes, "You were on the fence about it until you made a promise to Henry?"

Regina took a deep breath and nodded.

"I know that with all that has happened it's hard to believe that doing that to you was difficult for me but I assure you it was. It broke my heart to see so much anger and hatred in your eyes when you looked at me after. I put up my defenses and just retreated right back into Evil Queen mode," she paused to exude a soft but happy chuckle. "Then you even broke through that. You somehow find a way to creep through the cracks of every single wall I erect to keep you out. There's not really much point in putting them up anymore."

Emma shook her head sadly and thought about all the pain they'd put each other through. All of the emotionally retaliation she'd launched against Regina for casting the spell on her. It was tearing the dark woman apart inside and Emma couldn't even see it because she was blinded by the force of her own will.

"I never hated you, Regina," she stroked the soft face before her. "I was angry and I retaliated against you in the only way I could but I never hated you. And I'm going to do everything I can to make you believe that."

"You make me believe a lot of things, Emma."

The words were powerful. So powerful, that the blonde could think of nothing to follow them with that could possibly suffice. So she did what she did best. She used actions to get her point across. Gently, she removed the bottle from Regina's hand and placed it safely on the dresser before moving in for a soft, loving kiss. She allowed her lips to express the deeply profound gratitude she had for the gesture that the brunette had offered her tonight. And she moved her mouth with a sense of promise for the future. It was a promise that meant Regina wouldn't need walls anymore because Emma would be there to protect her.

As much as Regina relished the gentleness Emma was showing her, within her burned a desire that would not be quenched by such subtle gestures. They were both free now. By their own actions. And Regina wanted Emma in a way she never had before; without boundaries and fear. She slipped a tongue along the line of Emma's lips and was rewarded with a moan as she pushed inside.

Strong hands moved up to run through dark locks as Emma opened herself up to Regina, chest starting to heave with heavy breaths. There was a certain newness to the passion that was escaping the mayor, one that the sheriff had yet to experience. It wasn't so much in her actions but rather the affection from their author.

"I want you, Emma," Regina said as she moved her lips down a taught neck and pushed the rest of the blonde's body against the wall.

"I want you too," was the passion strangled reply.

Neither would be able to recall the exact timeline of when each part of their clothing came off but they both knew the effect of seeing each other's naked bodies was potent. Though she'd allowed Regina to quasi take the lead early on, Emma's passion was now bubbling over and she desperately needed to pour it into something. And that something was Regina's body.

Pushing her back onto the bed, she settled between her thighs and melded their lips together hungrily. The insistent grind she'd instigated between both of their centers was causing both of their excitement to grow.

Their movements were insistent but not rough. Passionate but not forceful. It was a happy expression of deep adoration. And it was something Regina had never actually experienced with the convoluted past of her sexual encounters.

"I feel like I can't get close enough to you," she told Emma.

"I know what you mean," The blonde said as she pulled back to look excitedly into brown eyes. "It's like the world isn't big enough right now for everything I'm feeling… for you."

They both smiled at each other as they tried to remember how to breathe. And then Emma leaned back down to claim lips that she never wanted to stop kissing. Her left hand stroked Regina's face softly as her right set out on a path down the mayor's body before settling between her legs.

"Hold onto me," She said as she stroked up and down Regina's length, spreading ample moisture in her wake.

When the brunette obeyed and wrapped both her hands and her legs around the strong body of the sheriff it was then that she felt Emma fill her with both her tongue and her fingers. Her body shuddered as her moan; born deep within her throat was swallowed by her Savior.

Emma accentuated the movements of her fingers by pumping with her hips and grinding the palm of her hand into Regina's clit. The build was slow and purposeful as the sheriff alternated bringing her mouth down upon the other woman's lips, neck and chest; never being able to get enough of her.

When Regina came, it was with Emma's name on her lips and fullness in her heart that she never wanted to go away. Emma rode out the orgasm with a growl but gave no respite to its owner once the waves died down. Instead, she stayed buried within and increased her movements once again until Regina cried out in ecstasy a second time and allowed tears to stream down her face.

It was then that Emma decided to give her a rest as she stayed in place and kissed the tears away.

"I feel like I'm never going to be able to get enough of you," she admitted. "Do you think that's a good thing?"

A deep chuckle escaped those perfect lips as the brunette stroked her back and answered, "I think I'd like to spend a great deal of time trying to figure out if it's a good thing or not."

She rested for a few brief moments. Partly to regain control of her movements and partly to soak in the feeling of being adored by Emma. Once she was finally able to move she reached down between them and coaxed Emma out of her body with a shudde. She then pushed the blonde onto her back and stroked her face.

"Even if I didn't already know better, I think you could make me believe in magic, Emma Swan," Regina announced with loving eyes.

Now it was Emma's turn to tear up once again. But the beauty of her tears was far outweighed by the shine of her smile.

"Your words make me feel things I never thought possible," she replied, causing Regina's smile to mirror her own.

"I'm glad," Regina admitted. "Now let me show you another way my mouth can make you feel things."

And for the better part of the next hour she caused a wealth of feelings to ignite within Emma… without words.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Waking up in Emma's arms was quickly becoming one of the most amazing feelings in Regina's world. Especially after everything that had taken place last night. That honest and open exchange from Emma seemed so incredibly powerful. More exhilarating than any magic she'd ever encountered. She felt completely out of control yet safe, all at the same time. Emma trusted her and believed in her so much that the sheriff allowed her to maintain ultimate power over the possession bottle. And Regina cared for Emma so much that she knew the brave sheriff's trust was not ill founded. She would do anything to protect both the Savior and Henry at this point.

It felt good.

Emma stirred a bit in her sleep and turned her head so that it was mere inches away from Regina's face. The brunette smiled and carefully raised a hand to softly caress her cheek. She thought about all of the stars that had to line up for them to come to this place. All of the terrible tragedies both of them had to endure to create who they were and their understanding of each other.

It was then that sadness started to form on Regina's face. She contemplated the ramifications of all of her actions in relation to Emma. So much of who the sheriff had become was interwoven with the circumstances Regina had forced upon her. She loved Emma's strength, bravery and independence but it was possible none of those qualities would have existed if she hadn't had to withstand so much pain going through life as an orphan.

It made her wonder if she even deserved to love those characteristics. They were born of such sadness and loneliness that would never have plagued the girl if she'd been able to be with her parents.

Emma's eyes fluttered open to see a very distressed bedfellow. She blinked a few times before furrowing her brow in concern and raising a hand to try to caress away the sadness that had seemed to take up residence around brown eyes.

"That is not the 'good morning' face I expected to see after such a wonderful night," she stated lightly. "You want to fill me in on what happened in between falling asleep after mind blowing sex and waking up?"

Regina allowed a smile to cross her lips as she shook her head and answered.

"I was just thinking about you and my mind started to wander," she explained. "I know we've skimmed the surface of this subject before but I don't think I'll ever be able to make you understand how deeply sorry I am for everything you went through due to my actions."

Emma started to halt her dialogue, but Regina pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I know what you're going to say but let me finish first," she warned and waited for Emma to nod before continuing. "I'm feeling selfish because, even though I've been responsible for so much pain in your life, it's created who you are as a person. If we had all stayed in the Enchanted Forest and you'd been groomed to be just like Snow, I never would have gotten to know you like this. I admire so much about you, Emma. I… feel so much when I'm in your presence and I know that it wouldn't be possible for me to experience that if you weren't exactly who you are. Not to mention the fact that we wouldn't have Henry."

Her face fell as she continued.

"I'm starting to think that one of the most terrible things that I am capable of is not wanting to go back and change things. Because, if I did, I wouldn't have either of you. And that is why I will never be able to forgive myself for what I've done to you. Because, even if I had the power, I'm too selfish to go back and change it."

Emma's heart was breaking for the torture Regina was putting herself through but it was also soaring at the idea that someone could care about her so much. The beautiful tragedy that was their story would never cease to amaze her.

"Regina, look at me," she held the face before her and forced their eyes to meet. "I don't want to change who I am. I don't want you to change who I am. I may have had some terrible things happen to me but they were essential to getting me to where I am today. I couldn't possibly feel the happiness I feel when I'm with you if I hadn't understood the sadness of my reality. And, while it is true that you were responsible for the setting of my life, you are not responsible for the actions of others. You didn't force my parents to put me in that wardrobe, you didn't create a foster system that can do more harm than good, and you certainly didn't force the hand of the monsters that destroyed my childhood."

Tears fell freely from both of their eyes as they looked on painfully at each other. Still, Emma continued.

"Words are big, Regina. Words are important. Not once, in my life, has anyone ever verbally validated all the wrongs I experienced. I may never understand how sorry you are for your part in it, but you will never understand how much your empathy means to me. You started to heal your part in my past the moment you showed me kindness. And I know it has been an incredibly bumpy road but, with each kindness you show me, you help me learn to trust and heal more. I like being me. But, especially here lately, I like being me most when I'm with you and Henry."

Emma ran a hand through the dark locks and leaned in to place a chaste kiss against full lips before speaking again.

"Please don't darken this because some person you used to be set into motion what would turn me into whom I am. You are not the Evil Queen anymore. You are Regina Mills. I am Emma Swan. And I am exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Regina shook her head once again and smiled at the amazing women before her eyes.

"When did you become so eloquent?" she asked.

Emma bit her lip briefly as she tried to decide whether or not to say what she wanted to say. Finally, instead of biting her lip, she bit the bullet and went for it.

"When I decided to try to make you understand that I love you, without actually saying the words," she said, swallowing hard. "Because even with all the craziness of this fairy tale business going on, that's what scares me more than anything."

Regina's heart pounded rapidly in her chest and her soul felt as if it was flying. How was it possible that this person she'd hurt so much, intentionally and unintentionally, could possibly love her back. As she tried to contemplate the words Emma spoke her face took on a panicked look which the Savior tried to put at ease right away.

"Hey," she tried to stroke Regina's anxiety away. "I didn't say that to scare you. It's a good thing. A good thing that I don't need reciprocated. Especially right now when you've got that look on your face."

"Oh no! It's not that, Emma," Regina's eyes widened as she realized that Emma didn't think she felt the same way. "I just -"

Emma cut her off, "You just need to stop worrying about all of this stuff, ok? This is supposed to be the good part. Let it be." Then she smiled and moved Regina on to her back before insinuating herself halfway on top of her. "Because I have way better ideas as to what we can do with the extra thirty minutes we have to kill before the alarm goes off."

Regina moaned with relief and smiled as Emma leaned in to kiss her. She then reached up to bury her hands in blonde curls before gasping in surprise and arousal when the sheriff shifted a leg between her thighs and rolled her hips.

Emma stroked a hand from Regina's face down her chest and torso until it shifted paths and ran back down to her ass. She elicited yet another moan from the brunette when she gave it a squeeze and then grabbed a thigh to wrap it around her body. She started a slow, firm grind against the writhing mayor.

"I'm going to start waking you up early every morning if this is how you choose to react," Regina burred before sliding her tongue over Emma's lips and requesting entrance. As it was granted she raised her left knee a bit more to apply greater pressure against Emma's core, causing her groan and move more insistently. Then Regina snaked a hand between then and softly massaged Emma's breast before pinching lightly at the nipple.

Emma pulled back to let out a gasp and smiled down seductively at the brunette.

"You know, if we started doing this a long time ago, we might not have had nearly as many verbal sparring matches," she leaned in to kiss her neck. "We could have gone at each other in a much more productive way."

"Is this what you call being productive, Sheriff?" Regina joked and then growled through gritted teeth as Emma bit down on her collar bone.

"I'm producing some pretty great reactions from you right now," Emma fired back before moving a hand down to cup Regina's wet mound. "Mmmm, I bet I can produce some more too."

And she would have, had the phone not rang from the nightstand and interrupted their progress.

"Oh for Christ's sake," Emma groaned as she noted the ringtone. "It's Mary Margaret. It may be important."

"Did you seriously assign her ringtone as 'Some Day My Prince Will Come'?" Regina asked with a frustrated chuckle.

"Hey, I'm one of the few people that know everyone in town is a fairytale character," Emma replied as she moved to grab the phone. "I had to find some way to make an inside joke about it."

She pressed the answer button and greeted her mother.

"Hey Mary Margaret. Is everything ok?"

Regina couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but she knew that something wasn't right from the confused 'What?' Emma expressed. The conversation was brief, but it didn't sound good.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, worried.

Emma let out a sigh before responding. She knew this wasn't news that Regina was going to take well.

"Mary Margaret had another one of those vivid dreams last night," she explained. "I told her if she had anymore to let me know right away. I can't be sure if it was just a dream or if it's connected to True Love, but there's a pretty good chance it's the latter."

"Has she been seeing David?" Regina asked, sitting up in bed.

"No," Emma shook her head. "I agreed with you that that they would be one of the last happy endings we fixed. I've been keeping her away from him. So, it's gotta be another couple."

"But who?" Regina wondered aloud. "Everyone we've gotten together so far hasn't seemed to have any effect. Has anything new happened that I'm not aware of?"

That's when it started to come together for Emma.

"Umm…" she paused, not wanting to tell Regina about her personal undercover mission but realizing she had to. "It could be Belle and Mr. Gold."

"What?" shock painted Regina's face as she took in Emma's admission. "How could it be Belle and Gold? Belle is locked up in the psyche ward of the hospital!"

"Not anymore," Emma corrected her and tried to calm her down. "I know I should have talked to you about this before but I didn't think you'd be too keen on giving Gold his happy ending considering your past together. I just wanted to try and help Belle by getting her out of that hospital. 29 years is a long time to be locked up for something you didn't do."

"Oh my God, Emma, you can't just go around making decisions that could affect both of us," Regina argued.

"I didn't think it would matter," Emma defended. "Gold didn't really seem to be the True Love type and it wasn't fair to Belle. She didn't do anything wrong."

"It was never about punishing Belle, Emma," Regina explained. "She was simply collateral damage."

The exasperated look on Emma's face drove Regina out of any anger she was feeling over the sheriff's decision to free Belle.

"God, what am I saying," she rubbed at her forehead and tried to collect herself. "This isn't who I am anymore… who I want to be. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's ok," Emma said gently as she put a hand on Regina's shoulder. "I should have talked to you about what I was planning to do before just going in guns-a-blazing. Maybe you would have had some insight into whether or not this would happen."

"Even if I did, you'd still be right to have taken Belle out of that place," Regina shook her head. "What I did to her was completely deplorable."

Emma was starting to worry about Regina's state of mind. She almost seemed tired and defeated. It was so unlike her to constantly berate herself. She took the woman's face in her hands as she spoke.

"Regina, you did what you did a long time ago," she explained. "Just look how you're reacting to it now. You're not behaving like the Evil Queen anymore. We are going to get through this. I just need to talk to Gold about maybe putting on the breaks with the romance for a bit. That guy really doesn't waste any time."

Regina looked at her and wished she could believe her when she said that everything would be alright but she knew it wasn't. It never was when she was coming so close to attaining her happiness. But she had to put on a brave face for Emma. The Savior was trying so hard to do the right things. She wasn't about to make her feel bad about it.

"I'm sure he was just overwhelmed with her presence," she said with a soft smile, regarding Belle. "I know the feeling."

Emma smiled back at her cautiously. She could tell that there was still a great deal of worry hiding behind Regina's features but she decided not to push it.

"Me too," she agreed, leaning in to place a soft kiss against the mayor's lips. "Stop by the station later and I'll let you know how things go with Gold. Try not to worry so much."

"Alright," she smiled back as she waited for Emma to dress and leave the room.

As the door closed her gaze fell upon the very important bottle resting on top of her dresser.

* * *

As Gold prepared the tea that morning he did so with a smile because he was making enough for two. He and Belle had talked well into the night in between kisses and cuddling. It was the best day he'd experienced in all the years he'd been in this world and it was just the beginning. His attention wandered from his task when he heard Belle enter the kitchen wearing one of his dark robes.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, Belle," he beamed back. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," she answered. "Too well, perhaps. I had some of the most vivid dreams."

His features sobered as soon as the sentence was out.

"What kind of dreams," he asked, worried.

She continued smiling, "Dreams about us actually. It was weird, we were like in some kind of castle and you looked so different but I could tell it was still you. I don't suppose you own a castle somewhere with a grand library?"

He thought about how to answer, not wanting to lie. He settled on levity.

"Anything's possible, I guess," he quipped before offering her a cup. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be lovely," she said, moving closer to him. "Thank you."

He knew that with the way she was looking at him she wanted him to kiss her and, as much as he wanted to do just that, he thought it better to play things safe.

"Why don't you have a seat and tell me more about these dreams of yours?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously, but decided not to press further.

"Sure, that sounds wonderful," she answered.

He was just about to sit down with her when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "But I think I might know who it is. Please excuse me, dearie."

As he opened the door, and beheld the form of one Emma Swan, his suspicions were confirmed. The dreams had not been restricted to Belle. The whole town must have been afflicted with them as well.

"Sheriff Swan," he greeted. "I'll hazard a guess that you're here on official business."

"I'm afraid so," she nodded. "May I come in?"

"Certainly," he moved to usher her in and lead her into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Belle," she smiled at the brunette. "How are you doing? Is Mr. Gold treating you well?"

"I couldn't be in better hands, Sheriff," she beamed. "Thank you so much for getting me out of that place. I'm starting to remember more and more. I think that soon I'll know exactly who I am."

Emma's smile remained but the rest of her face fell slightly as she took in the implications.

"Yeah, I think there's probably a lot of that going around right now. Do you think, perhaps I could talk to Mr. Gold in private for a few minutes? It's official business."

"Oh, sure," she replied, moving from the chair. "I'll just go take a shower and freshen up. Take your time."

As she made her exit the two remaining parties in the kitchen looked at each other wearily.

"We have a problem," Emma stated seriously.

"Indeed we do," he agreed. "I assume that you think the problem is arising because of me and my relationship with Belle?"

"I'm afraid so," she answered.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked, hoping it wasn't the case.

"I've kept pretty close tabs on all of the love birds in town," she explained. "You and Belle are the only new additions."

She swallowed hard, trying to gather up the courage to ask the delicate question she knew she had to ask.

"Were you and Belle physically intimate in any way last night?" she finally spit out.

"Yes," he answered right away. "We were."

"Then I think we both know what's going to happen if you continue to go down that path," Emma insinuated. "And how dangerous that could be not only for you, but for many other people in this town."

"Namely the mayor," he gritted his teeth as he spoke and it caused her blood to boil.

"Yes, namely the mayor," she agreed, moving into his personal space. "A mayor who took great pains to make sure she didn't put herself and, by proxy, you in this very position."

"I'm well aware of that," he admitted.

"And that means…" she paused, his sentence finally settling in. "Wait, what? What do you mean, aware of what?"

Now it was Gold's turn to be surprised.

"You mean she didn't tell you?" he asked curiously. "Even after she'd realized that Belle and I were causing the dreams to come back?"

"Tell me what?" Emma pressed.

He sighed and pulled his gaze away, unable to meet hers.

"When the dreams started the first time it didn't take long for me to figure out that they were probably being caused by you and Regina," he shook his head before his next sentence. "It was me who gave Regina the bottle. What's worse is I told her that if she didn't use it I'd take matters into my own hands. She may have been on the path anyway, but I gave her no choice in the matter."

Emma's eyes were wide and her mouth was agape as she took in his words. Her chest heaved as she felt the sting of a betrayal she'd never even anticipated. Finally she found her bearings.

"Are you telling me that, for the first time in decades, Regina Mills learned how to act and feel like a normal human being and you made her revert back to the sadistic control freak she likes to fall back on just to save your own ass?" she asked.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what-" he tried to defend himself but was cut off.

"Then," Emma moved away and started to pace in front of him, "you made my relationship with her a living hell by forcing her to take my fucking life away from me?"

He was beyond speaking at this moment. He knew it wouldn't make any difference. So, when she slammed him back up against the counter and finished off her rant he simply stood there and took it.

"And after all the terrible things you caused to happen to me, I bring your True Love to your doorstep and you bring us right back to the position in which we were after the first incident," she grabbed him by his jacket collar. "Is there any reason I shouldn't just go grab Belle right now, expose you for who you are and send her running into the hills?"

His brow furrowed as he tried to discern whether or not she was finished. After a suitable pause he finally answered her question.

"No," he said. "There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't ruin my happiness right now. I've certainly had a hand in ruining yours. But I don't think you will. Because you are a good person, Emma Swan. You are truly the Savior of us all. And, I know it won't mean much to you right now, but I swear to be on your side. It's not often that I find myself in the debt of another but, because you brought Belle back to me, I owe you a great deal."

"And why should I ever trust you?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Luckily for you, my cooperation doesn't require your trust," he explained. "You have the power here. I am simply offering my allegiance in hopes that, perhaps, you care enough about Belle's happiness to not separate her from her True Love."

Her nostrils flared as she tried to decide whether or not she wanted to throttle him right there. Her internal struggle was cut short by the sound of a timid voice coming up behind her.

"Is everything alright in here?" Belle asked, worried.

It took Emma a second to let her anger go and release Gold from her hold but she finally did. Turning, she moved to face the worried woman behind her. And as she looked into Belle's eyes she knew that, as much as she wanted to destroy Gold for what he'd done, she couldn't do it if it meant hurting an innocent.

"Um, yeah, sorry Belle," she apologized, looking down and placing her hands on her hips. "We just had a disagreement but," she looked back to him, "I think we're on the same page now. Can you just give us another minute?"

Belle looked cautiously, first at Emma and then at Gold, not knowing whether to stay or go. Emma noted her worry and tried to put her at ease.

"I promise, no physical contact on this round," she tried a joke.

After another few seconds of apprehension, Belle finally acquiesced and moved out of the room.

With one hand on her hip and another squeezing her forehead, Emma turned to address Gold once more.

"Alright, this is what's going to happen," she started. "You're going to hold off on kissing Belle until tomorrow so that I have time to figure out how the hell I'm going to stop this entire town from exploding and coming after both you and Regina. And once it does, once the curse breaks, you will be such an unwavering ally to both me and Regina that poets will scramble to write epic tales of your heroic support. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," he answered with a nod.

"Good," she nodded curtly and then headed for the door.

"Emma," his voice halted her but she didn't turn. "I know you have no reason to believe me but I want you to know that I'm sorry for the role I've played in all of this as far as it concerns you. You did nothing to deserve any of this."

She nodded, "You're right about that."

And, with her exit, she sincerely hoped he could at least adhere to her first request.

* * *

The loud pop and clack of sensible heels echoed in the nearly empty Sheriff's Station but Emma barely noticed because her head was buried in Henry's book as she tried to figure out a way to save the day before everything fell apart.

Her concentration was finally broken by a familiar glass bottle being placed on her desk. She looked up at an obviously worried Regina. She decided a friendly ribbing might be the best approach to whatever the mayor was thinking.

"While I do appreciate you wanting to keep a part of me close to you all day, it's probably best leave the very important 'Essence of Swan' locked away somewhere in the McMansion."

Regina huffed, annoyed at Emma's cavalier attitude and pulled the stopper from the bottle to illustrate the seriousness of the situation.

"I'm not drinking that yet," the blonde shook her head. "You might as well put the top back on."

"You can protest all you like but I'm won't be stopping that bottle again," Regina explained, shaking her head and pocketing the stopper. "You need to drink it, and get yourself and Henry out of here. I can't have either of you getting caught in the crossfire of what will happen around here once the curse breaks. And I suggest you drink soon. You're ridiculously accident prone at times and I'd hate to imagine you licking your life force up off the linoleum."

"I'm not leaving this town, Regina," Emma said staunchly and moved around the desk to stand next to her. "If I have to drain that bottle then so be it, I'll drink, but I'm not leaving you."

"You are a mother now, Emma," Regina said pointedly. "You don't get to just think of yourself anymore, you need to think of Henry, and his best interests do not lie in a town where fireballs may be thrown at will."

"Henry is going to be fine," the blonde fired back. "He's got two of the strongest women in… hell, the world, looking out for him. Plus, we don't even know if the magic is coming back along with the memories. No one is going to be able to hurt that kid."

"You can't promise that," the brunette head shook tiredly as she looked away. "You have no idea what I've done to all of the people in this town. Not all of the stories are in that book. And even if the entire town wasn't going to be after my blood, Gold will be. And he is, by far, a stronger adversary than me. You have to go."

"Gold isn't going to harm so much as a hair on Henry's head or yours," Emma moved in to take Regina's face in her hands. "I talked to him this morning and he told me everything. Everything about how he was the one who forced your hand, about how terrible he felt about it when I brought Belle back to him. I made him promise to be our ally."

It would have been so easy to look into those adoring green eyes and simply agree to trust in their confidence but she just couldn't. Emma was too valiant, and being the hero during the coming storm could get her killed. Regina couldn't risk that. She knew she had to put her foot down hard.

"I don't believe I'm making myself clear," she said, her voice dropping an octave as she removed Emma's hands from her face. "This isn't a request. It's an order. You are going to act like an adult and get my son to safety because I can't do it. You will drink the contents of that bottle and you will leave Storybrooke without looking back because if you don't," brown eyes drilled into green. "I will figure out how to rip your heart from your chest and force you to do so the old fashioned way."

"No you won't, Regina," Emma called her out. "You're lying I can tell."

"Oh, do not pull that crap about your super power with me," Regina tried to call her bluff. "You might have Henry believing it but we both know better."

She watched as Emma's eyes challenged her and she knew that her best bet was to leave as soon as possible before she broke completely.

"You will pick Henry up from school today and you will both be well out of town before sundown," she warned. "I'm not discussing this anymore."

The view from behind her as she stormed out looked every bit that of the Evil Queen but, if anyone had been able to see the front they would have seen nothing above the pain in Regina Mills' eyes.

* * *

As Emma sat in the squad car and waited for Henry to emerge from the school, so many thoughts ran through her head regarding everything that was going on. It felt like the world was closing in around her.

Well, not the world.

Storybrooke.

Storybrooke was on the verge of exploding into chaos. The world around it was fine. It was safe. It was predictable. And it was one she'd learned to navigate very well.

She allowed her mind to wander into the territory of the outside world, and what it would be like to make a real life in it with Henry. No parents that were her age. No scheming pawn shop owners. No crazy magic… And no Regina.

She looked at the vial sitting on her dash. She ended up stopping it with a pencil eraser, for reasons that she honestly couldn't fathom.

That was her life in there. It was dangerous to just keep it haphazardly housed in that bottle. So why hadn't she drank its contents?

She took a deep breath as she finally allowed the truth to flow forth and overtake her senses.

Regina.

It was the last link she had tying her to the dark mayor. If she drank from it she was truly free.

And Emma had always been a runner.

At the end of it all, she was afraid of herself. Afraid, that once she truly had the decision to make, that she'd let her fear overtake her and lose the one thing that had felt more real than anything else in her lonely life: Storybrooke.

Storybrooke was Henry's smile, and his whimsy, and everything that was wonderful about the absolute faith of a child. It was Mary Margaret's good heart and bad decisions, all stirred up into a cup of cocoa with cinnamon on top. It was Ruby's kind demeanor and penchant for dressing like a transvestite hooker. It was Archie's conscience and the guidance that led her to the person she'd miss most in Storybrooke should she decide to leave.

Because Storybrooke was also every soft touch and kind word she'd ever shared with Regina. It was the passion of their fights and the stillness of their hearts when they rested in each other's arms. It was home, love and forgiveness all wrapped up in a house on Mifflin street.

But it was also all about to change for the worse.

She knew she didn't have much time to make a decision. Henry would be exiting the school soon and she needed to do it before he got in the car and she lost her nerve either way. Grabbing the bottle, she pulled the eraser from the top and looked inside at the glowing liquid. It was 29 years of fire, bravery, despair, loneliness, fear, and a few precious instances of love. And it had gotten her this far. It was time to just take it back and go from there.

"Bottoms up," she said to no one but herself.

Tossing every drop back into her mouth she swallowed and was instantly filled with one of the most intense sensations she'd ever experienced. Goosebumps covered her skin, hair stood on end, and she felt like the energy of the stars existed within her heart. It took a few seconds for her to even remember how to breathe again and she tried to bring it all back down to a more manageable level.

The sound of a knock at the passenger door forced her out of the overall experience and she shook it off before pressing the unlock button for Henry.

"Hey Emma," he climbed in the car and shut the door. "You ok? You look like someone just scared you awake or something."

She took another deep breath and looked into his sweet, dark eyes before brushing soft bangs out of his eyes.

"Yeah, something like that, kid," she said with an assured smile as she started the car.

"Are we going straight to my mom's," he asked, "or are we gonna sneak some milkshakes at Granny's first?"

"Neither actually," she shifted into drive and looked at him. "Things are about to change, Henry. I need you to trust me, can you do that?"

He simply looked at her as if she were slow, "I traveled out of state, brought you back home with me and told you I believe in fairytales. I've been trusting you for a long time, Emma."

She smiled sadly at the truth of his statement, "Alright then, kid. Here we go."

And with that the cruiser pulled away and started them on their journey.

* * *

It was dusk and the setting of the sun behind the clock tower was breathtaking as Regina allowed it to wash over her from the vantage point in Henry's bedroom. She'd been in there for a while now; her only company a bottle of cider and the silent foreboding of things to come. She thought she'd be angry, perhaps even plotting some kind of revenge against Gold for so aptly ruining the one real chance at a happy ending that she'd ever had.

Instead she felt incredibly at peace. For the first time since Daniel died, she had done the right thing. She'd protected the people she loved.

Emma and Henry would be well on their way to Boston by now. Safe from the madness that would soon flood the streets of Storybrooke. And that's what mattered.

It was all that mattered, in reality.

It created a fullness in her heart that she'd never before been able to experience.

Her heart was so full there was no room for guilt over her past crimes or even her hatred of Snow White. She wondered if she'd even try to put up a fight once they came for her.

She didn't have to wonder for long. A resounding knock at the door startled her out of her stupor and her muscles tightened.

She may have been sorry for what she'd done, but that didn't mean she'd just be lynched without a fight. A smile crossed her lips at the thought.

"Some things never change," she said to herself before strutting down the stairs to meet the mob.

But, as she tore open the front door, ready to fight, she saw one single form; that of the sheriff. Emma Swan stood there in all her oafish, arrogant, do-gooder glory. Hands stuffed in her back pockets and an obnoxious smirk on her face.

"I told you to leave town with Henry," Regina stated; rage tinting her voice.

"And I have never been good at doing what you tell me to do," Emma replied as she stormed in, shutting the door behind her, taking Regina's face between her hands and crushing their lips together with everything she had.

It was more powerful than any of the other kisses they'd shared and Regina knew immediately that the curse would end as it finished. As much as she wanted to fall into Emma at that moment she also wanted to throttle her for making this decision. Pulling back, she grabbed the collar of the red jacket and turned them until Emma's back was slammed against the front door.

"You stupid, selfish child," Regina growled, pushing her fists harder into the blonde. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've broken the curse; I can feel the magic running through me. It's out there now and none of us are safe anymore!"

"Good," Emma said in defiance. "Then we don't have to dread it anymore."

"Where is Henry?" tense words escaped through tight lips.

"He's at Mary Margaret's," Emma explained. "As much as you might not like it, Snow White is one of the most beloved of all the fairytale characters. No one is going to hurt her and I left strict instructions with Henry to keep both of them locked up in the apartment. He couldn't be safer right now."

"That's certainly more than I can say for his birth mother," Regina warned. "You will go pick him up right now and drive out of this town. You're no longer welcome here."

She turned her back on Emma and moved into the study to pour another drink. But this time, instead of physically lifting the carafe and tipping it into the glass, she concentrated hard and flicked her wrist. A perfectly measured tumbler of scotch sat on the bar and both women took it in. She could feel Emma behind her and grabbed the glass to show her the reality of the situation.

"Do you see that, Sheriff?" she asked, holding up the evidence. "I have magic again. And that means I can make good on the threat I issued this afternoon."

Emma moved in toward her as if she had nothing to lose. She grabbed the glass and tossed it violently into the fireplace before removing her jacket and entering Regina's space.

"Then do it," she motioned toward her chest.

The brunette looked at her as if she'd absolutely lost her mind.

"Take it, Regina," Emma ordered loudly.

And as if her body were following orders to which her mind had not consented, Regina's right hand thrust forward inside the offered chest. The invasion forced a pained gasp to escape from Emma's throat as her arms reached up instinctually to grasp at the form of the woman before her.

"Take it! It's yours anyway!" the blonde grunted as tears started to form in her eyes.

But there was simply no way that was going to happen. As Regina stood there, Emma's heart beating strong in her hand, she felt the depth of their connection wash over her. Tears now fell from brown eyes, as well as green, and neither woman could move.

"I can't," Regina answered, barely able to manage a whisper.

"Why?" Emma asked, trying to sound in control, though her heart was in the other woman's hands.

"You know why," Regina answered, afraid of what she'd admitted.

"No, you say it," Emma ordered, forcing the brown eyes to meet her own. "My heart is literally in your hand right now, Regina. I love you and I am laying everything on the line for that love. I'm not doing that alone. Now, tell me why you can't take my heart."

Brunette bangs fell across a furrowed brow as she looked back down to the chest her hand was buried in. Her thumb softly, reverently, stroked the pulsing organ and caused gasp to emanate from its owner. It brought Regina's attention back up to a face that looked back at her with unabashed belief and affection. And so much faith that it gave her the strength she needed to finally speak the truth.

"I love you, Emma."

It was everything they both thought it would be and more. It was freedom, adventure, home and happiness and it brought them both to their knees before Regina delicately removed her hand from Emma's chest and pulled her into a desperate hug.

"I love you so much, Emma" she admitted, through tears, into the blonde's neck. "I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

"I love you too," the blonde said through a relieved smile. "And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We are going to get through all of this together."

Regina pulled back and moved her hands to the blonde's face, "I can't lose you or Henry. I can't deal with what would happen after that."

"And I am going to make sure that doesn't happen," Emma promised. "I'm the Savior, Regina. I'm going to save you and everyone else in this crazy town until no one needs to be saved anymore. And you, Henry and I can be the stupid, boring family I've never even dreamed of having."

"You have to understand that I will do _anything_ I have to do to ensure that happens," Regina warned, implying the lethality of her protective nature.

Emma shook her head but kept her gaze, "And I'll be here to save you from yourself if things get too intense. This is it, Regina. This is me not running. It's me, for once in my life, taking control of my own destiny. One that I hope you'll want to be a part of. But no matter what, it's going to play out here, in Storybrooke."

Regina stroked the strong yet insecure features of a face she never thought she could love as much as she did.

"No matter how hard I try, it seems that I can never succeed in getting rid of you, Ms. Swan," she said as endearingly as possible; causing Emma to smile.

"Yeah," Emma smiled and let out a soft laugh. "Curses, threats, and even intimacy can't seem to keep me away… Looks like True Love really is the strongest magic of all."

"I hope so," Regina agreed before an angry and thunderous knock at the door intruded upon the beauty of the moment. "We're going to need it to be."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I apologize for the wait on this one. Life seemed to be getting in the way for a bit but I'm hoping to get more back on track with my writing now. Thank you so much to everyone who reviews! It keeps my motivation up.**

Chapter 12

The ropes around her torso bruised the skin they surrounded. It seemed like it was all happening in slow motion.

Actually, it always seemed like that when she felt as if her life were ending.

It certainly felt that way when she watched Daniel's heart snuffed out by her own mother.

It was that way when 'The Charmings' had ordered her executed and Snow called everything off at the last minute.

And now, staring into the faces of all those that she'd wronged, it felt like it had all been slowed down again. Their angry cries started to run together. Their energy was all directed at one single source: Regina Mills.

It was Whale who lead the charge, followed by Jefferson; both of them holding gas cans and matches. They lived in a world filled with smart phones and smart cars but, when it came to torture, the oldies still held the gold standard. It was finally going to happen. She was finally going to have peace; wrapped around a telephone pole, with Emma and Henry the last thoughts in her head.

It might have been poetic were it not for the pedestrian presence of the telephone pole.

* * *

_24 hours prior…_

The pounding at the door of 108 Mifflin Street had both women's hearts racing. They'd both expected the mob to come for Regina, but neither had imagined it would happen so soon.

"Stay here," Emma warned as she stroked Regina's face before getting up to address whoever was at the door.

Regina grabbed her wrist and stood as well before speaking, "You're insane if you think I'm letting you go to that door by yourself."

"Regina, they're out for your blood," Emma explained. "Showing up right in front of them would be like bringing a lamb to the slaughter."

Regina looked at her determinedly before allowing a flash of fire to ignite and rest in her hand, "I'd say it's going to be a lot more like a barbeque, dear."

Emma's eyes grew wide, "Oh my God! That is the last thing they need to see if anyone's going to get out of this unscathed."

"I told you that this wasn't going to be a cake walk, Emma," her eyes started to take on a purple tint. "I'm not going to let these people hang me from the rafters and I'm not going to let them near you either."

The knocking started turning into thumps and it was evident that now someone was trying to break down the door. They were running out of time.

"Regina, I promise I can handle this," she pleaded with the dark mayor. "Please let me try to settle this with words first. Put away the fireball."

Emma looked down to the glowing orb and pondered how absolutely ridiculous that statement would have sounded to her just a year ago. But it was very serious now. This was her reality. She was in a town filled with fairy tale characters, her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, and she was in love with the Evil Queen.

And now she had to go be the Savior.

"Please," she repeated to Regina.

That word, that had always meant so much to their relationship, was one of the only things that possibly could have pulled Regina from her magic induced haze. Her eyes slowly started to take on a more natural color as she sighed and looked at Emma with worry.

"I can handle this," Emma reassured.

Finally, with a shake of her head she answered, "Alright," and followed the brave sheriff to the door.

Once Emma had disengaged the lock and pulled back the heavy oak, she saw before her Dr. Whale, followed by a mass of townspeople; all angry, all out for Regina's blood.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emma yelled, putting her hands out to stop the crowd from entering the house. "Everybody move back, that's an order from the sheriff!"

"I beg your pardon, Ms. Swan," Whale replied, "but the political offices of Storybrooke don't quite hold the clout they once did. Now, step aside. Our business is with Regina, not you."

They tried to press forward, but she pushed back.

"Any business you have with Regina absolutely has to do with me," she explained. "I will not let you touch her, do you understand?"

"Emma, for God's sake, at least draw your weapon," Regina whispered, worried that the Sheriff's words would not be enough.

"I'm fine," she grunted as she physically pushed Whale down and off the steps.

"So, what are you gonna do?" yelled one of the other citizens in the crowd. "Just let her get off scot-free after what she's done to all of us?"

"Look, I know she's done some terrible things to some of you but I assure you she has been trying to help bring back all of your happy endings," Emma explained. "Regina helped me get Hansel and Gretel back to their father, reunite Grumpy and Nova… And she was even going to help me get all of the rest of you back where you needed to be as well. We just ran out of time."

"What about the fact that we're all stuck in Storybrooke?" Whale asked, standing. "What about the fact that we're prisoners in a land where we don't belong?"

Emma sighed, it was becoming harder and harder to keep things civil when she didn't actually have a leg to stand on.

"We're going to work on that too," she finally said. "But you're not starting the journey back to where you came from with her blood on your hands."

"Then I'm sorry, Emma," Whale said darkly, "but I guess we're going to have to start with yours."

As he started to move toward her, Regina's eyes went completely purple and a shockwave erupted from her that knocked down not only Whale, but Emma and everyone else in the crowd. Stepping past the blonde, Regina moved directly in front of the doctor motioned her hands toward his body, lifting it with pure magic.

"I want all of you to witness this so you understand exactly who you're dealing with," she said to the crowd before lighting a fireball in her hand and rearing it back. "Whether I deserve it or not, I am going to have my happy ending, and anyone who gets in the way of that will suffer greatly," she looked toward Whale, "starting with you."

As she went to let loose the fireball she felt herself ripped away from her position and pulled back down to the floor. Emma then stood between her and the doctor.

"No one is going to die today!" the sheriff yelled. "Is that clear?"

She looked between both the crowd and Regina, who still had murder in her eyes. She was starting to panic, unsure if she could deal with a rabid queen and an angry mob all at once. Luckily, a voice from the back of the crowd interrupted the tension.

"Seems pretty clear to me, sheriff."

It was Gold she knew his voice before the crowd parted to reveal him standing there calmly with Belle at his side. She started breathing harder, hoping against hope that he really did mean it when he said he was her ally in all of this.

"I suggest you all return to your homes," he warned as he moved through the people and up the steps to join Emma and Regina. "I hate to hazard a guess as to what could go wrong should Regina and I overpower the good sheriff here and decide to team up against the lot of you."

The fear that was present in their eyes shown bright like the sun. They all moved back slowly and dispersed; even Whale.

"This isn't over," he said gruffly.

"You better be wrong about that," Emma fired back before looking to the mayor and kneeling to help her up. "I'm sorry, Regina, I couldn't just let you kill him."

"I know, she said, understanding. "Sadly, it's in your blood to make ridiculous decisions."

"Thanks for the help," Emma said to Gold. "I'm not going to lie; I kind of wasn't expecting you to come through."

"He's really not as bad as he seems," Belle said sweetly before looking fearfully at Regina.

Emma noticed the look and moved her eyes to take in Regina's features. She looked completely different than she had just minutes before. Smaller somehow, and fragile under the gaze of someone she'd wronged terribly. She didn't say anything but Emma could tell by her demeanor that she was feeling incredibly guilty for what she'd done to the young girl who'd just come to aide in their rescue.

"I think we should probably go inside before everyone realizes that guns might be a good weapon against magic," Emma stated. "We all have a lot to discuss as far as our next steps go."

"Agreed," Gold said with a nod, looking to Regina. "That is if it's alright with her Majesty."

None among them could tell if his tone was straightforward or biting but it didn't really matter anymore. They all needed each other. And at the end of the day, the enemy of your enemy can be your friend.

* * *

Emma couldn't help stepping out of herself for a few moments as they all sat drinking tea in Regina's kitchen, discussing the best plan of action to keep them all alive. She just couldn't believe she was in a zero hour meeting with Rumpelstiltskin, Belle French and The Evil Queen. She always imagined that if she made her way into a Disney movie it would be during the exciting parts but it was never so dark and real.

The first order of business had been to call Mary Margaret. Both Emma and Regina were worried that she might leave the loft and bring Henry out into the madness on the streets but, luckily he'd managed to make her stay put.

"Hello," Mary Margaret answered the phone in a tone she'd never heard before.

"Mary Margaret, it's Emma," she told her newly awakened mother. "Are you and Henry ok?"

"Oh Emma," she said with a broken voice. There was a brief pause that included a few obvious gasps and whimpers and the woman on the other end lost it after hearing her daughter's voice for the first time that she could recognize it as such. "We're fine, are you ok? I've been so worried about you. Henry told me that we couldn't leave though, that you had it under control. What is going on?"

The blonde took a deep breath as she tried to deal with the millions of feelings that were flowing through her at that moment. The pain in Mary Margaret's voice spoke to her her on a platonic level but she knew she should also be feeling something maternal… She just couldn't.

"I'm fine," she explained. "I'm at Regina's right now. We had a bit of a problem earlier with Dr. Whale and some of the other townspeople, but we're fine now. We just need time to regroup and figure out how to address everything."

She could hear voices and shuffling in the background and wondered who it could be.

"Mary Margaret, is David there with you?" she asked.

"Yes," she said excitedly. "He came as soon as his memories came back. So did all of the dwarves. They're all here to protect me and Henry."

"Good," Emma nodded. "Have everyone stay there for the night then. I'm going to come by tomorrow and we can talk then. Right now can you put Henry on the line?"

"Sure, absolutely," there was a hint of disappointment in Mary Margaret's. "Emma, please be careful with Regina. I know that you don't want to listen to me about her, you haven't since the beginning, but I need to you to understand how incredibly dangerous she is."

Emma looked directly at the subject being discussed. Regina had calmed and her eyes had finally transformed back to their natural color. Now she looked smaller and more scared that Emma had ever witnessed. Snow was right about Regina's capabilities but she was wrong about her heart.

"I understand her better than you'll ever know," Emma answered. "Now, please let me speak to Henry."

A brief pause took over the other end and Regina moved closer, anxious to hear from her son.

"Emma?" He answered.

"Henry!" She smiled and sighed in relief just from hearing his voice. "Are you ok?"

"Duh, there are like nine people in here making sure I'm ok," he told her in an exasperated tone. "What about you and mom? Are you both ok? I was so worried when we didn't hear from you but I did exactly what you said because you're the Savior and I believe in you."

She wondered if her heart would ever just get used to swelling as much as it had since she'd come to Storybrooke. But every time it happened she could feel the walls stretch a bit more to a place they'd never been.

"We're fine, Henry," she looked to Regina. "Do you want to talk to your mom?"

"Yeah, but I need to talk to you too after we're done," he said seriously. "Remember, I'm the expert with all this fairytale stuff. You need some more Intel before you make anymore plans."

She laughed lightly, "Roger that, kid. Here's your mom."

She handed the phone over and Regina mouthed a tear-filled 'thank you' as she accepted it.

Then she watched as the dark mayor's face became more and more illuminated at Henry's words. Whatever he was telling her; it was putting her at ease and making her feel safe.

There were a few portions of Regina's side of the conversation that she caught;

"Yes, dear she is very brave."

"Don't worry, I'll protect her too."

"I promise I won't let that happen. I love you too, Henry."

When she finished the conversation and handed over the phone she looked deeply into Emma's eyes and brushed a hand across her cheek before moving away to let the savior finish her conversation with her son.

After about 15 minutes of Fairytales 101, Emma cut off the conversation and told Henry it was time for bed. They exchanged relieved 'goodnights' and 'I love yous' before hanging up. Allowing Emma the opportunity to join the conversation at the grown-up's table.

And that's where they were now. Working hard to figure out how to make people not wish to kill them.

"I think there are two key advantages here," Belle started. She was coming into this situation as kind of an outsider and that gave her objectivity. Everyone was very interested in hearing her opinion. "One of them is that, with both Rumpel and Regina on the same side, the townspeople are operating in a state of intense fear. They're certainly not going to act alone so the only time we really have to worry about them getting the upper hand is if they're in large groups."

"I agree," Emma expressed. "Even the crowd dispersed when Gold came on the scene. You two working together is going to be crucial to the first steps of this process."

"You'll get no argument from me," Gold assured.

"Nor from me," Regina agreed, her eyes glancing between Belle and the cup of tea in her hands.

Emma put a comforting hand on her thigh when she noticed the insecurity. Regina was feeling horrible about what she'd done to Belle now that the girl was working in tandem with them to help save her life. The brunette moved a hand down to clasp it with Emma's.

"Good," Belle nodded at the mayor, kindly. "That leads us to our second secret weapon: Emma. Rumpel has told me how beloved you are in this town. Whale was probably just the exception to the rule as far as anyone being willing to hurt you. Plus, you're supposed to be the Savior. The one who brings back all of the happy endings. They're not going to kill you if they believe that. I think as long as you keep assuring them that you are in charge, they'll agree to your terms for the most part."

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Emma huffed. She was somewhat overwhelmed by the idea of keeping an entire town in check.

"I would," Gold asserted. "Your kind heart and bravery got me on your side, Emma. Don't sell yourself short."

"Ok, but what do we do with it?" Emma asked.

"Honestly," Bell sighed, "I think one of your best options is to establish some normalcy within the town. They're used to listening to Snow and Charming. Why not allow them to be your mouthpiece. As long as they're in agreement that they'll encourage the masses to leave Regina and Rumpel alone then I don't see it being a negative."

Regina groaned, "As much as the very idea of that plan makes my skin crawl, I must say I agree with it. Most of these people are simple lemmings. Just make sure you're… parents don't lead them off the witch burning cliff and we should all be in a much safer environment."

Emma noted the annoyance in Regina's voice and somehow it made her feel better. Like things might actually go back to normal someday.

"It's settled then," she said. "Tomorrow I'll go see David and Mary Margaret while you guys hole up here. If we can use them to calm the crowd we'll figure out the next steps. For now I suggest we figure out some kind of watch schedule so that we don't have any unwanted visitors come bumping around in the night."

"That won't be necessary, dearie," Gold disagreed. "I'll set up a protection spell around the perimeter of the house. It won't be completely impenetrable to magic, but it'll keep out the laymen.

"And even if someone does manage to get through we'll still know," Regina added.

"How's that?" Emma asked.

"I've got a security system, dear," she explained. "Don't forget about the magic of this world."

"Right," Emma nodded and addressed Gold and Belle. "Ok, Guest room is upstairs. Regina and I will be in her room if you need anything."

"Thank you," Belle said with a smile.

"No, thank you," Regina insisted and moved closer to the chipper woman whose smile fell slightly at the sight of her. "Belle, there will never be any apology I can make to you that will accurately convey the remorse I feel for what I've done to you. And no act of contrition can ever bring back all of the years I took from you. But I do want you to know that it does pain me and that I will live out whatever is left of my life trying to make up for the evil I've done to others."

It was hard to tell whether or not Belle's features were softening because they were so soft already. But it was obvious that she was taking in Regina's words with care and trying to develop a response. When she finally did, it was worth the wait.

"You are who you are in each minute, Regina," She explained. "Rumpel taught me that. Whatever you've done in the past is who you were in the past. You have to deal with who you are right now. And in all the 'right nows' that follow. Use what you've learned about hurting people in the past to make sure you don't do it anymore."

She gave her a genuine smile that Regina returned with her own tear-filled one.

"Thank you, Belle," she said genuinely before turning to join Emma going up the stairs.

It wasn't safe, it wasn't perfect and it wasn't even remotely the way any of them thought this would all end up. But it was the rocky start to a future filled with possibilities. Good possibilities. And they all went to sleep, exhausted, with that one thought comforting their hearts.

* * *

Emma had never been so nervous to knock on Mary Margaret's door. Which is probably why she had to stand there for a few minutes and work up the nerve. It was just so weird. Her parents were on the other side of that door. Parents that were her age. Parents that were fairytale characters.

With a deep breath she raised her hand and finally managed a respectable knock. Not ten seconds after she'd pulled her hand away, the door flew open and revealed a relieved Mary Margaret standing on the other side, about to burst into tears.

"Emma!" she breathed, elated, and launched into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're ok."

The blonde hesitantly hugged her back, still unsure of how to feel. Of course she'd held affection for Mary Margaret before she ever knew that she was her mother but this new element to the equation actually made things more complicated. Her parents gave her up and effectively laid the weight of Storybrooke on her shoulders. It was difficult to swallow the reticence that clung to any words she might want to say.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, pulling back with a smile. "Don't worry; everything is going to be ok. Where's Henry?"

She looked around and saw her son just behind Mary Margaret, waiting with a smile on his face. She moved in for a hug immediately.

"Hey kid, are you ok?" She asked as she pulled away to survey his features.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he nodded. "We've just been worried about you and mom. How is she?"

"She's good," Emma assured him. "The house is under a protection spell right now and, thought I still can't believe it, you mother and I have forged an alliance with Mr. Gold. Nobody seems to want to take on the two of them at the same time."

Standing back up she looked past him into the loft and saw David backed up by what was apparently the seven dwarves.

"David," she nodded to him before moving inside to try to talk the group into appealing to the masses for Regina and Gold's protection.

It wouldn't be easy.

She asked everyone to take a seat as she paced in front of them and explained the plan. It was obviously from their faces that none of them were happy about it. Especially Grumpy, who was the first to speak.

"You gotta be kidding," he stood and shook his head. "I know you're a little new to this whole song and dance, sister, but Regina has committed so many crimes against the fairy tale crowd that she makes Jeffrey Dahmer look small time. We're talking whole villages, children, friends and family… all killed under her orders or by her hand. Hell, she killed her own father just to make sure she'd be able to ruin the lives of everyone around her. She's not getting any more chances."

"Agreed," David backed stood and backed him up. "Emma, it's obvious that you think you see a different side of her, but she's had too many chances already. Your mother…" he paused, unsure if the terminology was appropriate this soon. "Snow stopped her from being executed and gave her a second chance before and still she nearly killed us before sending us to this world. We can't take those kinds of risks again."

"Yeah, well you're going to," Emma stood strong. "Because whether you like it or not, Regina is tied to two of the most important people in your lives. She'd Henry's mother and she's my True Love."

The room broke out in gasps. Yesterday, she told Henry to explain to Mary Margaret that she'd found a way to break the curse. She did not tell him how she planned to do that. Emma nearly laughed at the look that crossed her mother's face as she took in the news. Part of her wished Regina was there to witness it.

"She's also one of the only two people in this town that can possibly figure out how to get all of you back to your land. Gold and Regina are the most powerful beings in Storybrooke. If you want to go back, you're going to have to figure out how to work with them and play nice."

It seemed that her logic was starting to work until Mary Margaret's sad voice issued forth from a forlorn face.

"Emma, she killed my father," she said solidly. "She spent most of my adult life trying to figure out a way to kill me. James fought off her guards with you in his arms before he sent you to safety. I held him, dying in my arms as she laughed at me. And for 28 years I lived with an emptiness that I had no idea how to fill because you and your father weren't with me. There is no goodness in that woman's heart."

Emma swallowed hard as she took in Mary Margaret's pain. Mother or not, they were still friends. A sadness washed over her, matching that of the broken school teacher.

"Mary Margaret," she moved closer and took the woman's hands. "I understand that she's been horrible to you. And no matter what happened in the past, there is no excuse for that. But you don't know her now. I do. And if you allow them to kill her now you will not be killing the Evil Queen from all your nightmares. You'll be murdering a very tortured woman whose main goal in life is to give your grandson love and family."

Mary Margaret's face contorted as she looked at the boy in question.

"Henry shouldn't be here for this conversation," she sobbed softly.

"Better for him to see her stoned in the street?" Emma asked, sadly and softly. "Because that's what's going to happen if you don't speak out against it. Henry's mother and my True Love will die violently with your consent."

The dark head shook as sobs continued to flow forth from her body.

"I can't handle any of this," she said, and David came to comfort her. "I don't know what to do."

"You're going to have to give us some time, Emma" he said. "I know this all seems so clear cut to you but it's not that black and white for us. We need time to deal with it. To come to terms with what she means to you and Henry and what that means to us."

Emma sighed in frustration. Though she knew that he was right. It just wasn't that simple.

"Ok," she said, shaking her head. "I understand. I know this is hard for you all. Just don't go leading the charge, ok? I'll figure out a way to stall the mob until you make a decision on where you stand."

"What do you mean," Mary Margaret asked indignantly. "Where we stand? We're a family; we're supposed to stand together."

"Well, then you're going to have to accept that Regina is going to be a part of that family too," Emma explained. "Or you're going to have to make the choice to give me up again. Because I will do anything to anything to protect her."

Mary Margaret's head simply shook, "She's still managing to take from us what we love. I won't be throwing the first stone, Emma, but I'm not telling these people that the grief she's caused them doesn't deserve to be satisfied. Not when she keeps causing it."

Emma's heart started racing as anger and anxiety started to set in.

"Fine," she said through thin lips. "Can I count on you to keep Henry safe while I try to figure this out myself, then?"

"Of course you can," David spoke up tersely. "And you can take that self righteous tone with you when you leave. Your mother is in pain here, Emma, we all are. You didn't go through what we went through."

"And who's choice was that?" she asked barked. "You saved me so that I could come back and save you all, instead of keeping us together as a family. And now that I'm trying to be the Savior you wanted so badly, you're standing in my way."

"That is not fair," he shot back.

"Oh what ever is?" she asked and turned away from him to address Henry, who was looking sad and distressed.

"Look at me, kid," she put her hands on his shoulders, "Everything is going to be fine. I promise you it is. I am going to find a way to save everyone but you've got to stay here for a while until I figure it all out. It's not safe out there right now."

"Will you tell my mom that I love her?" he said as tears escaped his eyes. "I said so many terrible things to her before you two started getting along. If something bad happens…"

"Don't you dare think like that," she put one of her hands on his face and bit back the tears that threatened to fall from her own eyes. "I'm the good guy, remember. And the good guys always win. I will find a way to save everyone. I just need you to have faith in me like you did before. You were right the whole time and it all seemed so impossible. I need you to have that faith again."

"Ok," he nodded and wiped at his tears.

"Ok," she said before pulling him into a hug. "I love you, Henry."

"I love you too," he replied.

As she pulled away she ruffled his hair to try to lighten the mood and moved toward the door. She was stopped by Mary Margaret's voice calling her name. She stopped but didn't turn to address her.

"I know it's hard for you to accept right now," the brunette said. "But we do love you."

"I know," was the only reply they received as she walked swiftly out the door to allow herself the breakdown that she so rightfully deserved.

* * *

Archibald Hopper was startled from studying his notes from Henry's sessions by a puff of purple smoke that appeared in the corner of his office.

"Regina!" he stood and moved as far back from her as he could. "What are you doing here?"

It pained her to see such fear in his eyes. But she knew that it was the same fear she'd be encountering from half the town. Because the other half would only reflect rightful anger.

"I'm sorry, Archie," she held out her hand to try to calm the situation. "I promise that I'm not here to hurt you. I just needed to talk to you about Emma. I'm worried about her safety. That's the only reason I'm here, I swear."

Taking a deep breath he nodded at her, "Alright. How can I help you, Regina?"

"You're the town psychiatrist," she started. "You understand the minds of the people in Storybrooke better than anyone. And many of the people in town want me dead. Emma will do anything to stop them and I'm afraid she'll get caught in the crossfire. I need to know, in your professional opinion, how far you think these people will go when it comes to their revenge. Would they kill an innocent to get it?"

"I can't offer you any definitive answer to that question, Regina," he sighed. "Grief and pain are very strong motivators in human interaction. The only emotion that can even remotely compete with them is love. And while Emma is beloved by some of the citizens of Storybrooke, she's also a closed off person. She hasn't let a lot of people in. I don't know that it would be enough to halt their need for revenge against you."

"Would it halt yours?" she asked, sadly.

"No," he answered quickly and then surprised her. "You wouldn't need anyone to protect you from me. Aside from Henry and Emma, I'm probably the only other person in town that may actually know who you are now."

"And who do you think I am?" she asked.

"Someone who is being changed, for the better, by love," he offered.

She stared at him; almost right through him for a while before finally speaking again.

"I think you may be right, Dr. Hopper," she nodded. "Thank you for all you've done… for all of us."

Before he had a chance to respond she exited the room the same way she'd come in. Purple smoke lingered in the room as he contemplated her words.

* * *

Emma experienced a similar interruption to her day as she was stockpiling weapons from the armory into a heavy duty duffle. She'd been all alone in the station until the purple smoke cleared and revealed Regina's form. The brunette looked to be in much higher spirits than she had been that morning and the night before. Which was more than Emma could say for her own state of mind. Still she put on a brave smile and greeted her lover.

"Thought I told you to stay put at the house," she asserted.

"When have I ever been good at taking orders from you?" Regina asked as she moved closer to survey the sheriff's handiwork. "I take it the talk with the Charmings didn't go quite as well as we'd hoped."

Emma swallowed hard, "They just need a little time to adjust is all. Once they get used to the idea that they don't really have a choice in the matter."

"Uh-huh," Regina nodded. "And what's all this? Are you preparing to head up Storybrooke's first NRA rally?"

The blonde huffed out a brief chuckle before answering, "It's just a little extra insurance in case things get rowdy. I don't want anyone breaking in here and getting a hold of these and if anyone gains access to the mansion, I don't quite have the same fire power you and Gold do."

Regina's face fell slightly as she took in the sheriff's words.

"So, your 'no killing' rule is being suspended now?" she asked.

Green eyes met brown as she spoke, "I'm not letting anything happen to you. Whether or not that entails using these depends on the actions of the people in this town."

Regina regarded the blonde with wonder. Love truly was one of the strongest magics of all. It could change someone in so many different ways. Her love for Emma was changing her for the better. But Emma's love for her… it had the capacity to change her into something dark.

And Regina couldn't let that happen.

"Well, since it looks like you're arming yourself for the apocalypse," she moved closer to the blonde and spoke seductively, "perhaps we need to make every moment count before the world ends."

Slipping a hand around Emma's neck, she pulled her face forward and crashed their lips together. Nipping and sucking as she moved them both into the jail cell.

Pulling back briefly, the blonde smirked and regarded the amorous mayor.

"Believe me, Regina, if I have a choice in ways to go this would certainly be at the top of my list but don't you think that maybe this should wait till we get well within the walls of the force field surrounding your house?"

"My house doesn't have so many bars," Regina replied darkly, pushing Emma's back against the subject at hand and reaching down toward her belt and retrieving something, "or handcuffs."

She slipped the restraints out of their pouch and proceed to cuff one of Emma's hands to the bars before moving in this time to kiss her softly. None of it was what the blonde was expecting.: the kinky new addition to their lovemaking or the tenderness of the kiss that followed it. Sadly, she didn't have to wonder about Regina's actions for long.

The brunette head pulled back as she lovingly cupped the beautiful face before her and allowed her walls to fall away before speaking.

"I love you, Emma," she shook her head in wonder. "So much. Much more than I ever thought I had the capacity to after all of the terrible things I've done."

"I love you to," a brow furrowed above green eyes. "What's going on, Regina."

"I love you too much to let you change for me," she replied sadly. "Whether that be internal or external, I can't bear the thought of losing you to the rage of the town or your own."

Before she stepped back she pulled Emma's keys from her pocket and gun from her belt. The sheriff didn't have enough of her wits about her to react quickly enough to grab her. As soon as she realized what was going on, she started panicking against the cuffs and reached out.

"Regina, no!" she yelled. "You get back here right now and let me go."

"I can't do that, Emma," she looked upon her for the last time and wished that fear and anguish didn't paint her face. "There is only one way for you to save this town and that's to let me go."

"Regina, no! Please!" Emma screamed as tears started to fall from her eyes and she jerked harder at the cuffs. It didn't feel real, yet it felt more urgent than any other situation she'd ever experienced. "I love you. You can't just leave me here!"

Regina spoke as if she hadn't heard her cries, though they were ripping right through her soul.

"Don't let Henry find out what happened to me," she ordered softly. "When he asks about it, just tell him that I found a way back home. And that I always loved him… that I will always love him. I'll always love both of you."

She turned and walked out of the cell, tears falling down her eyes as Emma's cries followed her. She pulled the cell shut and locked it without another look at the blonde. She was too close to breaking as it was. She didn't dare gaze upon the face that had managed to bring her to her knees after only a few months.

The cries didn't stop as she placed the keys and the gun in the desk drawer and locked the entrance to the station. And they wouldn't stop after she'd transported into the town square and started hurling fireballs into the air to rally the mob.

It was time for her to face her fate while she still had the chance to die as Regina, and not the Evil Queen.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It would be irresponsible to not mention that the season three premiere was extremely inspirational in the writing of this chapter. **

Chapter 13

Emma Swan was experiencing an agony at that moment that was all too familiar. It called to recollection some of her worst memories, and dredged up all of the emotions that went along with them.

The crippling anxiety she'd felt when she'd been arrested and left behind by Neal. The earth-shattering sadness she'd experienced after giving birth to Henry, and having to lose that beautiful connection she'd had as a constant companion for nine months. The intense fear coursed through her when Henry was trapped in the mine.

And all of it lead her back to the scariest place of all. The place that built her. The place that used to be her greatest strength. And the place that, now, she didn't ever wish to go back to.

The place where she was scared and alone.

Screaming, crying and cursing, she railed against the restraints that held her to the jail cell bars. Pulling so hard that she was causing her wrist bleed.

"Grrrgh!" she groaned against the cuff. "Come on, Goddammit!"

She didn't have time for this. Didn't have time for this stupid bar, or metal, or wrist. She needed to get out of there. Needed to get to Regina before the crowd did. Before she lost her just when she'd found her.

"Please!" She used her other hand to grab the cuff and leveraged her foot to try to pull it hard enough to stretch the links in the chain.

"I need help!" she screamed. "Can anyone hear me?"

Her breathing increased and she could tell that if she didn't stop and try to regulate it she was going to hyperventilate and pass out. And then she'd be too late. Far too late to save Regina. Allowing her body to slip to the ground, her right arm still hanging on the bar and her left hand clutching at her chest, she tried to steady herself.

And as her hand rested there she remembered how, not long before, Regina's hand had been in the same spot. Only inside her chest. Holding her heart. She let the love she felt at that moment wash over her, remembering the brief but powerful caress she'd received against the very organ that kept her alive.

"Regina," the name slipped from her lips like a prayer as another tear raced down her cheek.

And that's when she felt it.

Her right arm falling to the ground with a thud.

Surprise and confusion swept through her as she tried to understand what possibly could have happened. Glancing down, she noticed the handcuffs were still in the locked position. One half was even still stuck to her wrist as the other dangled free.

She shook her head and stood to look at the bar to which it'd once been attached. And, there it was, completely intact. It was as if the restraint had simply slipped through the iron bar; like a knife cutting through butter.

Like magic.

"Magic," she whispered, as if giving herself the answer to her own question.

Racing to the cell door she shook at it with her hands to test its integrity and found that it was, in fact locked.

But not for long.

"Ok, I can do this," she wiped the tears from her eyes and focused. "How did I get it to work before?"

She thought back.

"I closed my eyes and thought about Regina," she said, not even realizing she was speaking anymore. "I grabbed my chest too. I wonder if that matters."

She thought for a moment about how ridiculous all of it was but pushed the thought quickly away from her mind. She didn't have time for doubt anymore and she knew better anyway. It was love she was feeling at the moment her hand fell. One single second of love, free from her fear and anger and sadness.

And if that's all she needed to bust out of this jail, she had it in spades.

Taking one last look at the cell door, she backed away and grasped at her heart before closing her eyes.

As her thoughts drifted all across the expanse of her memories of Regina, Henry and the family she wanted to create with them, warmth spread through her chest and she could actually feel the magic building. She tried not to get lost in the experience and continued to hone in on her feelings.

The way the smallest smile from Regina felt like a victory of epic proportion. How the adoptive mother knew to errantly stroke Henry's head from time to time simply to establish connection. The pride the Queen took in nurturing her apple tree. The softness of her kiss and the warmth of her arms. The vulnerability she showed when they in bed together. Her unending bravery in instances of protecting the ones she loved.

As the thoughts raced through Emma's head, her body started to glow and foster a building vibration that was very near its precipice.

It was one last thought that finally send her magic into a tailspin, the same thought that had kept Emma from running away from all of this when she had the chance to leave with Henry: home. Everything about Regina was now home to her. From the town, to the clock tower, to the lasagna on a table, surrounded by the people she loved most. Regina was home. And that was something Emma had never had before… and wasn't about to lose.

A resounding 'Boom' pulled her from her meditation and as her eyes flashed open she saw the cell door fly off its hinges and go crashing into her desk. She only allowed herself one second, and one word, to commemorate the experience before running at full speed out of the station.

"Wow."

* * *

Only one of two voices could have possibly pulled her out of the warm, safe, happy place she'd chosen to die inside of within her mind. Neither of them should have been anywhere near close enough to be heard yet, through the yells of the mob she heard it: the angry, shrill and determined cry of Emma Swan.

Opening her eyes, Regina shook her head and exhaled a sigh of frustration and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, relief. She watched as the blonde head and red jacket angrily pushed and shoved through the crowd until she was between them and their prey.

"You are NOT going to burn this woman to death!" She ordered, so much bravery and strength in her voice it made Regina's heart swell. "Don't you see what you've become? You're turning into the very monsters you've always fought!"

"Emma get out of the way," Regina ordered. "This is the only way it can all end. Their pain, my regret; all of it. It has to end. Let them take their revenge or you'll always be fighting this fight."

Emma then said something that none of them were expecting.

"Shut up, Regina!"

There was a small moment of silence allotted to her from both the Queen and the mob due to the fact that no one could believe that the words had ever been spoken by anyone in that specific order. It afforded her time to take in Regina's words and make a very bad, dangerous and stupid decision.

The decision was also very Emma.

"Fine," she said, understanding that Regina was not completely wrong, she moved to hitch the free end of her hand cuff to Regina's left wrist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Regina growled at her.

"Same thing you did to me," Emma fired back. "Trying to protect you."

"Idiot!" Regina spat. "This isn't going to stop them. They're going to kill you too!"

"No, they're not," she argued. "You want them to have faith in you, then you're gonna have to have faith in them."

Emma looked back out at the mob, her eyes pleading.

"Let's get one thing straight," she told them. "This is the last time we are having this conversation. I am not living the rest of my life worrying about all of you barbequing…" she hesitated but held firm, "the woman I love and the mother of my child. I am not saying that she deserves your forgiveness but you will not kill her. Not without getting my blood on your hands as well."

She could tell that even Whale was starting to falter in his resolve with the idea of burning an innocent to death lingering in his possible future.

"I believe in the goodness inside of Regina," she told them. "I believe in the goodness inside all of you too. Maybe that makes me a fool. And maybe some fools need to be put out of their misery. So, this is your last chance to enact your revenge. If you want it bad enough to kill me too, then take it."

She then turned her back to them and wrapped her free arm around the pole, bringing her forehead to rest against Regina's. Tears were streaming from chocolate eyes and she bent to kiss them away.

"I love you," she whispered. "And we are going to finish out this life together. One way or another."

"I've never hated or loved someone so much before in my life," Regina cried, and exhaled sadly before speaking again. "I've never wanted you to be right more either."

"There's a first time for everything," Emma said sadly, hopefully.

And that was when they heard footsteps approaching and knew that, one way or another, their fate was being decided. Closing their eyes, they awaited it together.

The sounds of knives against rope seem soft to those who are not bound by the latter. But to Emma and Regina they sounded off loud like horns of victory. Elation escaped both of them through sighs of relief as the ropes loosened.

They were going to be ok.

The dark Queen shucked off the ropes and kept her eyes on Emma. Shaking her head the whole time in awe of the power held within the souls of the innocent and the faithful. They were met back with an arrogant smirk that certainly proclaimed 'I was right the whole time'. But their gaze broke as Whale started to speak up to both of them.

"Emma," he regarded only the Sheriff. "We won't be coming out for her blood anymore but this isn't going to be easy for any of us, including you. That woman has hurt every single person in this town and you're the Sheriff; the one who's supposed to protect us all. How are any of us supposed to feel safe?"

"Because you're the ones holding the gasoline and matches, while she's the one who gave herself up freely," Emma fired back with rapidity. "That's how you feel safe. Now disperse this mob and clean up this mess before I arrest all of you for attempted murder."

There were some grumbles but after a few seconds everyone was either heading back home or cleaning up the rope and gasoline cans. Emma took the hand she had cuffed to her own and gently pulled Regina away from the crowd with a confident nod. As they walked to the station, Regina noticed the blood dripping from the Savior's hand onto her own.

"Oh Emma!" she gasped looking down at the wreckage of the gnarled wrist. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Nothing that I wouldn't do again," the sheriff replied, raising her free hand to cup Regina's cheek. "Remember that the next time you decide to do something stupid, because I will always figure out a way to save you."

Tears welled up in Regina's eyes as she took in the sweet words. Shaking her head, she took Emma's hand in her own and turned to kiss it.

"Let's go find the key to these things and get you cleaned up," she ordered softly as they walked off together to do just that.

* * *

Upon entering the police station and locking the door behind them, Regina noticed the state of disarray the room was in. The fallen cell door was resting on the floor and the sheriff's desk was certainly looking worse for wear.

"Dear God, Emma," she said as they made their way to the desk to retrieve the keys. "How in the hell did you manage to do this much damage from within that cell?"

"Magic," Emma smirked as she grabbed the key from the desk and unlocked them both.

"Are you being serious or facetious?" Regina asked, knowing neither answer would surprise her.

"Serious," was the blonde's answer as the cuffs fell to the desk and she winced at the pain from radiating through her bleeding right wrist.

Regina immediately grabbed the pained limb and scrunched her face in pain and sadness.

"Here," she said, hovering her hand over the angry red area and healing it with her magic.

Emma gasped as the strange feelings passed over the injured area and looked in awe at Regina as she healed her. Once the evidence of her struggle had been completely wiped away, the brunette head bent down to caress the area with an even more important kind of magic: a loving kiss.

"I don't think you'll ever know how much this means to me," Regina explained as she continued to kiss away the pain and replace it with feelings much more pleasant. "I love you, Emma. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how much."

"Then show me," Emma said softly yet fiercely before bringing the Queen's lips up to her own and kissing them hard.

The adrenaline pumping through her body, after having just survived such a horrifying ordeal, had caused a stirring within her that made her feel very much alive. She wondered if Regina shared the passion that was running through her, but she needn't question it long. Her kiss was returned with reverence and heat as she was backed against the desk by the dark mayor.

"I'll spend forever showing you, if that's what it takes," She asserted, gripping the blonde hair softly with one hand as the other moved slowly down a pale throat, heaving chest and back to a firm ass.

Regina kissed her with hope, confidence, fear and love. Her touch begged forgiveness, understanding and patience. And it was all returned, in kind, from the blonde with emphatic promise, care and want.

Their movements were purposeful but not rushed as they simply enjoyed the moment and forced the circumstances of the world far away from their mutual expression of wonder at each other.

At some point their pleasurable journey lead them to a place of extreme vulnerability for the both of them. Nearly completely naked and sweating, Emma clung to Regina's hair and shoulder from her perch upon the desk as Regina stood between her legs and pumped slowly in and out of her. The Queen's free hand clutching softly at the small of her back, guiding the sensual movements of the sheriff's hips. Their eyes were locked onto each other and their lips alternated between kissing and barely touching; breathing the same labored breath.

Regina pulled back just a bit to speak, keeping her movements rhythmic.

"Do you feel this, Emma?" she asked. "This is the real magic. Our connection to each other. You've given me the ability to feel again. To love again. This kind of thing doesn't happen for everyone, and though there are so many more people out there more deserving of it than me, I promise I'll never throw it away again out of fear. My path to salvation exists within you."

Emma gasped and moaned as she felt the effects of Regina's ministrations to both her body and her mind. The combined feelings so overwhelming, the only possible response she could manage was a breathy 'Regina'.

The brunette responded with a daring smile as she started to pick up the pace and felt Emma responding in kind. She was dangerously close to the edge and the Regina could tell. Moving her left hand up the Savior's back and holding her close, she moved her lips to her ear and whispered to her.

"Let go for me, Emma," she commanded sweetly. "I promise to be here to catch you now and always."

They held tight to each other as Emma's release washed over her. Tears escaping her eyes as she both heard and felt Regina's words throughout her entire body. Once the aftershocks subsided Regina was there to kiss the tears away and gentle her strong, yet fragile Savior. As Emma caught her breath, she softly stroked the beautiful face before her and found her voice.

"Regina, you're my home," she admitted.

The weight of those few words was not missed by the enrapt mayor. She knew what they meant to Emma. Home was something she'd longed for all of her life. Something that was ripped away from her by the very person that offered it to her now. It was layered in so many levels of pain, happiness, sadness, elation and most of all, love. It was precious.

"And you're my happy ending," Regina smiled back through her tears, knowing that the reciprocation would be apt enough to make Emma understand that their need for each other was equally important.

They allowed the depth of their feelings to linger for a bit before Emma moved to switch their positions.

"Good. I'm glad that's all settled," the blonde expressed with a cheeky grin. "Now, Madam Mayor, I'm about to do something to you on this desk that I've wanted to do for a very long time."

Regina responded with a chuckle, "I do love how closely we work together in our respective political positions."

It earned a giggle from Emma before she put her mouth to work on much more pressing issues. It was easily the most productive meeting the sheriff and mayor ever adjourned together.

And neither would be able to regard the desk after without a satisfied smile crossing their lips.


End file.
